Clank.
Yo Bulbeom assembled the long spear strapped to his back. The resulting spear, over one jang and three cheok (roughly 13 feet) in length, was complete.
His Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear was no different in appearance from those used by the Flame Soul Corps warriors, but its power was worlds apart.
Whoosh!
As Yo Bulbeom fiercely swung his spear, a vast space opened around him. He brandished the spear, thrusting at openings with its tip. The spear’s assault spread like the ribs of a fan, only to converge into a single point of light when a vulnerability appeared.
Each time Yo Bulbeom moved, the intricate techniques of the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear Technique were unleashed.
“Urgh!”
“Argh!”
With screams, the guests and Hundred Flower Maidens around him inevitably fell, wounded. Sweeping through the battlefield, pushing aside enemies in his path, he finally closed in on Bu Eunseol.
Swish!
With a sharp gust of wind, the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear stretched like taffy. Its razor-sharp tip pierced through the chaos of a dozen entangled fighters, targeting Bu Eunseol’s back as he fought fiercely.
Clang!
With a resounding metallic clash, Bu Eunseol’s dark sword instinctively swung behind him, lightly deflecting the incoming spear tip. It was a perfect harmony of Radiant Sword Control) and the Beast Way.
“Hmph, Beast Way, is it?” Realizing that a sneak attack was meaningless against Bu Eunseol’s sharp senses, Yo Bulbeom spun his spear.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Raising a whirlwind, he leveled the spear horizontally, pushing back the Hundred Flower Maidens surrounding Bu Eunseol. A wide space opened, and the two clashed.
“Take this!” Leaping into the air, Yo Bulbeom shouted, and Bu Eunseol raised his dark sword as if in response.
Flash!
With a dazzling burst of light, dozens of spear shadows left afterimages, enveloping Bu Eunseol’s body. Astonishingly, the spear shadows not only struck at different times but some even lingered in the air.
‘This is the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear Technique.’ The fearsome aspect of the Death Spirit Sect’s spear technique was its ability to sustain the sharp energy condensed in the spear, lingering in the air for a time. Rumors held that masters who deeply mastered the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear could maintain that ferocious energy for over half a gak (roughly 7.5 minutes).
Tzzt tzzt tzzt!
At that moment, radiant sword energy, like beams of light, shot from Bu Eunseol’s dark sword, streaking across the sky.
Caged Bird Yearning for Clouds.
The fourth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, which freely moved unleashed sword energy, was deployed.
Clang clang clang!
The sword energy weaving through the sky erased the spear shadows striking with timed delays. But in that moment, Yo Bulbeom, landing on the ground, thrust his spear straight at Bu Eunseol. As Bu Eunseol moved to defend, the spear tip suddenly vanished.
As the dark sword hesitated in midair with no target,
Slash!
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, the pointed spear tip lunged at Bu Eunseol’s throat. It was the ultimate technique of the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear, Silent Strike Through the Heavens.
Whoosh!
Blood sprayed near Bu Eunseol’s neck as he narrowly dodged.
‘Impressive.’ Bu Eunseol inwardly marveled. There was no time to deploy Swift Beyond Shadow. Without the heightened senses of Beast Way, that single strike would have pierced his throat.
“Lucky you!”
Swish!
Meanwhile, Yo Bulbeom’s spear bent like a bow, swinging horizontally to strike Bu Eunseol’s body. But Bu Eunseol, already using Swift Beyond Shadow, escaped the spear’s range.
“How long will you keep dodging!” Yo Bulbeom swung his spear again, sealing off Bu Eunseol’s retreat and all directions.
In the air, ten more spear shadows formed, striking with timed delays. On the ground stood Yo Bulbeom, brandishing his spear in all directions.
‘I can’t break through immediately.’ Bu Eunseol, shifting through eighty-nine directions with Swift Beyond Shadow, tried to find a flaw in Yo Bulbeom’s technique while evading. But the spear technique was so intricate it couldn’t be countered quickly.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, Yo Bulbeom’s techniques shifted again. This time, instead of straightforward thrusts, he unleashed feints in all directions.
‘He’s skilled at feints too.’ Unable to instantly distinguish between Yo Bulbeom’s illusions and reality, Bu Eunseol kept retreating. Yo Bulbeom, a supreme master who had led the Flame Soul Corps through the martial world for over twenty years, instantly saw through Bu Eunseol’s intent to analyze his techniques while evading.
Thus, he improvised, unleashing chaotic and intricate spear techniques.
“Brother Bu is being pushed back.” Hyeok Sojin, blasting away Flame Soul Corps warriors with his Divine Rift Demon Energy, furrowed his brow.
The silver lining was that while Bu Eunseol and Yo Bulbeom fought, the battle between the Affectionate Blossom Sect’s forces and the Flame Soul Corps was mostly resolved.
The guests, including Jeong Ri, possessed formidable skills. Their martial arts, closer to orthodox than demonic, easily overwhelmed the sinister energy of the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear. But the critical fight between Bu Eunseol and Yo Bulbeom, the leaders, was tilting unfavorably.
‘The Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear technique isn’t something you can analyze mid-battle.’ Bu Eunseol coldly assessed the situation.
Until now, to advance his martial arts, he had analyzed opponents’ techniques, found weaknesses, and counterattacked. But Yo Bulbeom’s skill surpassed Bu Eunseol’s, and his battle tactics were masterful.
Moreover, with a spear over one jang and three cheok long, he preempted the space Bu Eunseol needed to move, making perfect evasion impossible even with Swift Beyond Shadow.
Whoosh!
Another sharp spear tip grazed Bu Eunseol’s cheek, drawing blood.
‘Don’t think with your head!’ At that moment, the stern voice of Sa Woo, who had taught him Beast Way while wielding a sword on Hell Island, echoed in his ears.
‘If you analyze techniques and dodge, you’ll be too late.’ Sa Woo, who had once grazed Bu Eunseol’s cheek with a sharp sword, shouted again. ‘The moment an attack begins, you must react instantly!’
In that instant, Bu Eunseol’s eyes blazed like burning coals.
‘Have I been arrogant all this time?’ His fighting style—finding flaws and then striking—was only possible when he vastly outmatched his opponent.
Bu Eunseol had always relied on the ancient movement art Swift Beyond Shadow and his superior senses to dodge attacks and find weaknesses. But his Swift Beyond Shadow was only at the seventh level, not yet perfected.
Yo Bulbeom, with his vast battlefield experience and mastery of feints, concealed his weaknesses, preempted directions, and cornered Bu Eunseol.
“This is the end!” Spotting a flaw in Bu Eunseol, Yo Bulbeom unleashed thirty-two shadows.
Each spear shadow struck with varying timing and shifted rapidly. Even with Swift Beyond Shadow, perfect evasion was impossible.
‘If I can’t dodge, I’ll break through!’
Boom!
Channeling his full internal energy, a powerful explosion of energy erupted from Bu Eunseol’s body. At the same time, his dark sword spun fiercely, radiating black light.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the black light from the dark sword materialized, shooting into the air.
It was sword aura.
Tremble.
As the dark sword quivered, the black sword aura began erasing the incoming spear shadows.
It was an absolute defensive form combining Radiant Sword Control and Return to Origin.
Boom!
Despite the clash of weapons, a sky-rending explosion resounded. The sword aura Bu Eunseol produced was unlike ordinary sword auras that retained the weapon’s form. The black sword aura stretched and contracted like rubber, its power vastly different from typical sword auras.
Rumble!
As the circular sword aura grazed the ground, a deep, dark pit formed, its depth unfathomable.
‘What is this guy?’ Bu Eunseol abandoned defending and analyzing techniques.
Pouring out his internal energy without restraint, he unleashed a barrage of techniques, each strike like a heaven-shattering blow. Unable to bring his Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear against the dark sword, Yo Bulbeom kept retreating.
Clang!
Finally, a moment came when he had to clash weapons to defend. As the dark sword and spear tip collided,
Hiss.
Yo Bulbeom, pushed back twenty paces, withdrew his spear, eyes wide.
“Your internal energy… surpasses this Corps Leader’s?”
Having reached the fifth level of Ban-geuk Method, Bu Eunseol’s internal energy was unmatched. He had simply never used such overwhelming energy to crush an opponent before. But as Yo Bulbeom’s techniques shifted endlessly, Bu Eunseol generated sword aura with his immense energy, overpowering the techniques themselves.
“You talk too much.” Without giving him a moment, Bu Eunseol thrust his dark sword forward.
Having been on the defensive, his aggressive onslaught now flustered Yo Bulbeom.
Boom! Rumble!
As the sword aura grazed the ground again, it wasn’t just an explosion but a thunderous roar. Each time the black sword aura passed near him, Yo Bulbeom’s face hardened. Bu Eunseol’s dark sword carried not only immense force but also two distinct streams of internal energy.
Ban-geuk Method.
An ancient heart art said to influence the creation and destruction of all things at its peak. In the past, when Bu Eunseol infused his weapon with internal force, thirteen sharp streams of energy would pour out like blade tips.
But as his energy deepened and purified, it manifested the pure yin-yang dual energy, akin to the forces of nature.
‘I can’t just keep dodging!’
Whoosh!
Finally, Yo Bulbeom generated spear aura to counter Bu Eunseol’s sword aura.
Boom! Rumble!
Each time the dark sword and Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear clashed in the air, Yo Bulbeom’s face grew paler. The two powerful streams of energy from each clash were shaking his insides.
“You!” Yo Bulbeom tried to gain distance to avoid the clashes.
But Bu Eunseol, like a phantom, circled him, sealing his escape routes. Even if the Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear luckily escaped the dark sword’s range, Bu Eunseol used Absorption Technique to pull the weapon back.
‘The Hebei Pang Clan has a technique to break the body through weapon clashes.’
Bu Eunseol mimicked Pang-ak’s Five Tigers Severing Heaven from Hell Island, which aimed to shatter bones through weapon collisions.
“Urgh!” After forty clashes, unable to withstand the immense internal energy, Yo Bulbeom vomited blood.
“Ugh…” Kneeling on one knee, Yo Bulbeom groaned.
The two powerful streams of energy had nearly severed his meridians, rendering him immobile.
“Such internal energy…” Yo Bulbeom trembled.
A warrior’s combat methods are diverse. Some fight with weapons, others disrupt the mind with sharp words. And some, like this, overwhelm opponents with sheer internal energy.
“Brother Bu.” Hyeok Sojin approached Bu Eunseol.
The battle was over.
The three hundred Flame Soul Corps warriors were scattered and defeated. Over half had fallen to the attacks of the Affectionate Blossom Sect’s disciples and guests. With their leader, Yo Bulbeom, defeated, the remaining warriors ceased resistance and signaled surrender.
“Impressive, Brother Bu. To single-handedly defeat the renowned Flame Soul Corps Corps Leader.” Bu Eunseol looked down at Yo Bulbeom.
A glint of killing intent flickered in his eyes, causing Hyeok Sojin to hesitate.
“Defeat?” A blood-red light gleamed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he spoke.
“Brother Bu, you don’t mean…” Realizing Bu Eunseol’s intent, Hyeok Sojin waved his hands. “Killing him will make you an enemy of the Death Spirit Sect.”
When Bu Eunseol didn’t respond, Hyeok Sojin swallowed hard.
“You’re already on bad terms with Hell’s Blood Fortress and White Horse Temple, aren’t you? There’s no need to add Death Spirit Sect to the list.”
“Bad terms…” In truth, Bu Eunseol had always harbored a question.
Why does the Demon Emperor demand the blood of fellow demonic sect members to select a successor?
If it was to assess a successor’s qualities, there were countless methods. For unity, they could fight a common enemy like the orthodox sects. To compare martial prowess, a tournament would suffice.
But the Demon Emperor demanded endless clashes and bloodshed among demonic sects.
“So that’s how it is.” Having defeated Yo Bulbeom, Bu Eunseol finally grasped the reason. “There’s no such thing as good terms.” With a cold smile, he looked down at Yo Bulbeom.
“Without spilling blood, the Demonic Alliance cannot endure.” He finally understood.
The successor struggle for the Demonic Alliance meant that anyone not an ally was an enemy. There was no neutrality, and those who opposed had to be thoroughly subdued.
“I’ll show what happens to those who challenge me from now on.” In that instant, Yo Bulbeom’s eyes changed.
For decades, as the Flame Soul Corps Corps Leader of Death Spirit Sect, he had been a synonym for fear in the martial world. To think his end would come at the hands of a former Nangyang member?
“My hands won’t be stained by you.” Wiping the blood from his mouth, Yo Bulbeom staggered to his feet.
Gripping his Evil Spirit Jade Blood Spear, he stood tall and began channeling his internal energy, intending to sever his own heart meridian to end his life.
Flash!
But his attempt failed. Before he could sever his heart meridian, Bu Eunseol slashed his carotid artery in a single strike.
Spurt!
With blood gushing, Yo Bulbeom’s eyes widened.
Thud.
He collapsed like a felled log.
That was the end of Yo Bulbeom, the Flame Soul Corps Corps Leader of Death Spirit Sect, who had terrorized the martial world for decades.
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