The outskirts of Hell Island, in a deep forest.
Clang! Clatter!
Each time weapons sliced through the air, the ear-piercing metallic clangs echoed in succession.
“Ugh, arghhh!” Following that, heart-wrenching screams shook the forest.
The lives of young, exceptionally talented prodigies were falling like flower petals scattered by the wind.
Hell Island.
Just one day after the Third Trial began, this isolated island had truly become a hell.
“Damn it!” In a place where a sea of blood and carnage unfolded, a boy named Ga Unseong, lying collapsed, gripped the ground tightly. “Ugh…” Though he lacked talent and remained at the intermediate halls of the Blood Flame Path and White Horse Temple, he had loyal friends and comrades.
“We swore to survive together… to become the Ten Demon Successors…” Instead of engaging in brutal life-or-death battles, Ga Unseong and his comrades had hidden in the forest on the outskirts.
But his comrades were all slaughtered by shadows lurking in the woods. They were the trainees of the Extreme Blade Sect. Also known as the Assassination Sect, the Extreme Blade Sect was the great pillar of the Assassination Clan among the Ten Demonic Sects. The sect’s assassination techniques were so cruel and grotesque that it was said even a child trained in them could easily kill a martial artist.
“To mercilessly kill those who don’t even resist—do you call yourselves human?!” Despite Ga Unseong’s anguished cry, the forest remained silent.
Likely, the assassins, hidden in the darkness, were silently observing him as if watching a dying insect. That’s how assassins typically were.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Tears streamed from his eyes as he gazed at his comrades, now cold corpses in a gruesome state. “They died… trying to protect me…”
Even in the brutal Ten Demon Successors tournament, there was loyalty and friendship. His comrades had died cruelly, struggling to protect Ga Unseong, the weakest among them in martial prowess. Wiping away his tears, he slowly stood up. The moment he reached for his sword,
Whoosh. Thud.
With a piercing sound, something sharp lodged deeply into his left thigh.
“Argh!” With a desperate scream, Ga Unseong collapsed to the ground. “Ugh…” Looking at his thigh, he saw a sharp wooden stake, carved from wood, deeply embedded.
As he reached for his sword, an assassin watching from the darkness had thrown a hidden weapon at him.
“Ugh…” Gritting his teeth, Ga Unseong looked up at the forest shrouded in darkness and shouted. “I’ll kill you all!”
Thud.
He pressed the stake deeper into his thigh with force. Rather than letting it bleed out while loosely embedded, he drove it in further to staunch the bleeding.
“I swear!” His eyes, scanning the surroundings, were filled with rage and resentment. “Even if I have to sell my soul! Even if I become a ghost! I’ll take revenge on you all!”
Rustle.
With a low sound, dark shadows began to appear one by one in front of Ga Unseong. Their movements were silent and stealthy, as if they had been there all along. They looked like reapers delivering death, but,
“Come at me!” Ga Unseong, with a resolute expression, gripped his sword tightly.
***
Whistle.
A desolate wind gently swept through the outskirts of Hell Island. On a dark night, with the faintly glowing moon at his back, a shadow walked. It was Bu Eunseol.
Step, step.
His expression was utterly calm as he walked through the Hell Path, where death descended moment by moment.
Drip, drip, drip.
Blood dripped from the iron sword he held. Over the past three days, Bu Eunseol had roamed Hell Island, cutting down countless foes with his iron sword.
“I’m tired.” Bu Eunseol muttered calmly, gazing at the distant sky.
His expression made it hard to believe he had just been engaged in a brutal bloodbath. As the relentless slaughter continued, many trainees were losing their minds, but Bu Eunseol maintained his clarity. He had lived his life constantly facing dead bodies.
After his grandfather, Bu Zhanyang, died, even the boundary between life and death had become blurred. He didn’t feel alive, nor did he feel close to death. Bu Eunseol was living day by day, breathing and moving, solely to hunt down the villain who killed his grandfather.
“Still…” Bu Eunseol looked down at his right hand, soaked in blood up to his fingernails. “I’ve gotten a bit stronger.”
Since leaving the martial hall of the Hwa Wu Sword Sect, he had never been outmatched in any direct confrontation. He could freely adapt the Thirteen Hwa Wu Form and the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword, techniques deemed unusable in real combat. With a sword in hand, he felt he could even cut the throat of a reaper.
“I’ll kill you all!” At that moment, a desperate cry echoed from deep within the forest.
It was the wail of a wounded beast. Bu Eunseol, about to reach for his sword hilt, let his eyes dim. He wasn’t so bloodthirsty as to cut down someone trembling in pain, consumed by vengeance and sorrow.
“Hmm.” Turning away as if he hadn’t heard anything, another anguished cry reached his ears. “Even if I have to sell my soul, even if I become a ghost, I’ll take revenge on you all!”
Halt.
The heart-wrenching wail stopped Bu Eunseol’s steps. Revenge. The word, steeped in bitter resentment and blood, pierced his heart. After gazing at the deep night sky for a moment, he walked toward the source of the sound, into the forest.
Step, step.
Walking with steady steps, Bu Eunseol suddenly stopped.
“…” Gazing blankly at the night sky,
Thud!
He suddenly struck a large tree beside him with his fist.
Rustle.
The tree shook, and the sound of leaves brushing against each other echoed. At the same time, faint vibrations spread out in concentric circles. Bu Eunseol’s eyes emitted a strange light and widened. Using the teachings gained from the earth, he vibrated the tree to expand the senses of the Beast Way.
Whoosh!
A fierce glint shot out from the darkness. But Bu Eunseol’s body had already moved three jang (about 9 meters) away.
Thud, thud, thud!
Dozens of wooden stakes, carved from wood, struck the spot where he had been standing.
“What?” As Bu Eunseol easily dodged the hidden weapons, a cry of shock came from the bushes about ten jang (30 meters) away.
Realizing their mistake, the ambusher quickly tried to flee.
Clang.
But Bu Eunseol’s iron sword was already drawn, blocking their escape route.
Slash, slash.
Swift sword strikes poured through the bushes.
“Ugh.” With a dull groan, a dark shadow emerged from the bushes.
The shadow, dressed in assassin garb and a mask, trembled and muttered.
“To so easily dodge the hidden weapon technique launched with the Ten Thousand Calamities Light technique…” But the words didn’t continue.
Trickle.
A faint line of blood had already been drawn from their shoulder to their waist by Bu Eunseol’s sword technique.
Thud.
The assassin collapsed, dead.
“You hid poorly.” Muttering softly, Bu Eunseol suddenly spun his sword and thrust it like lightning into the ground beneath his feet.
Thud.
With a dull sound, blood gushed like a fountain from the ground. An assassin hiding beneath Bu Eunseol’s feet had their skull pierced and died without even a scream.
“You bastard!” This time, a shout came from above, from the tree, accompanied by a barrage of hidden weapons.
But Bu Eunseol’s Beast Way had already sensed the ambusher’s position and stance.
Whoosh.
Easily dodging the hidden weapons, Bu Eunseol leaped into the air and swung his sword at the tree. With a thud, a masked figure in assassin garb fell to the ground.
“Are you an assassin too?”
“Assassin?”
“To see through stealth techniques like that, you must be a highly skilled member of the Assassination Clan.” The masked figure tilted their head and looked at Bu Eunseol. “Why didn’t you join the Extreme Blade Sect?”
‘This one was trained by the Extreme Blade Sect.’ Realizing the masked figure was a trainee of the Extreme Blade Sect, Bu Eunseol narrowed his eyes. Assassins with weak true martial arts were inevitably vulnerable in direct confrontations. But the assassination techniques of the Extreme Blade Sect included not only stealth and hidden weapons but also orthodox swordsmanship, making them strong in face-to-face combat as well.
“I don’t know the techniques of assassins.” As Bu Eunseol shook his head, the masked figure sneered. “Don’t lie. To see through the Forbidden Extreme Stealth Technique of our sect, which even masters of the martial world struggle to detect?”
The Beast Way, capable of sensing even the flow of air, was the natural counter to assassins who hid in secret places or struck like lightning.
“I don’t care.” Bu Eunseol, uninterested, placed his hand on his sword hilt.
He intended to test his skills in a direct confrontation with an assassin trained by the Extreme Death Secret Sect.
“Wait!” The masked figure, staring into Bu Eunseol’s cold eyes, waved both hands. “There’s no need to settle this with a direct fight right now. Let’s postpone the battle.” Bu Eunseol’s eyes showed no wavering.
As if he might strike like lightning at any moment, the masked figure’s eyes grew urgent.
“There are still countless people in the Hell Path. We, who have mastered assassination techniques, have been silently eliminating those who come to this forest.” The eyes within the mask narrowed slyly as they stared at Bu Eunseol. “If we take care of the others, your competitors disappear… isn’t that good for you?” Yet Bu Eunseol’s hand, gripping the sword hilt, didn’t budge.
It was as good as declaring his intent to kill. Realizing this, the masked figure spoke with a venomous gaze.
“There are more of my comrades hiding in this forest. There’s no need for you to face me…” But the words didn’t continue.
Bu Eunseol’s iron sword, flashing like lightning, pierced the masked figure’s throat.
“You bastard!” Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the masked figure, in a panic, swiftly executed footwork.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Despite changing directions forty-three times, leaving faint afterimages, they couldn’t evade the sword strikes.
“What kind of sword technique is this?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol shifted from the Ninth Form of the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms, Storm Across Ten Thousand Miles, to the Twelfth Form of the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword, Swift Delight Before Me. He was freely wielding the Thirteen Hwa Wu Forms and the Hwa Wu Lightning Sword, techniques deemed unusable in real combat.
“Ugh.” Unable to find a way to evade, the masked figure drew a black sword.
Clang!
As the iron sword and black sword clashed, sparks flew, and Bu Eunseol’s body slightly staggered.
“Die!” Spotting an opening, the masked figure shouted in triumph and thrust at Bu Eunseol’s throat and lower abdomen.
Tremble.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol’s iron sword vibrated faintly, creating dozens of sword shadows. As sword strikes bloomed like scattering flowers, blood spurted from the masked figure’s body.
“Ugh.” Barely avoiding a fatal blow, the masked figure hurriedly retreated. “You monster. You deliberately revealed an opening.”
Revealing an opening during a sword clash was something only amateurs did. Realizing they could never defeat Bu Eunseol with true martial arts, the masked figure stepped back.
Whistle.
Blowing a sharp whistle with their fingers, a rustling sound came from afar. It was the sound of summoning hidden comrades.
“Heh heh heh. You refused the sweet wine and chose the bitter one.” The masked figure, stepping back, spoke arrogantly. “Soon, my comrades hiding in the forest will gather.”
Feeling the rustling sound growing closer, the masked figure shouted confidently.
“You can’t escape even if you try!” But Bu Eunseol remained still, his expression calm.
The masked figure, expecting him to flee in a hurry, widened their eyes at the unexpected situation.
“Why… aren’t you running?”
“Running?” Bu Eunseol asked back with a calm expression. “Do you think someone who runs can become a Ten Demon Successor?”
At that moment, the masked figure felt as if a white light pierced through their mind. Becoming a Ten Demon Successor was a chance to stand at the side of the supreme master of the demonic path. Would a prodigy aiming for the pinnacle of the demonic path flee from such a situation?
“I see… those who flee from danger cannot become a Ten Demon Successor.” The masked figure finally understood.
The gaunt boy standing before them was a prodigy fully qualified to stand at the side of a Ten Demon Successor.
And they, along with their comrades hidden in the forest, would not survive this battle.
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