Rustle.
Another figure emerged from the shadows—Myo Cheon-woo.
“Bu Eunseol, you’re truly blessed with allies,” Myo Cheon-woo said.
He’d sensed Bu Eunseol slipping out of the tent and followed, concerned for his safety, as it affected the entire division. But upon realizing the other party was Seo Jinha, he’d hidden in the shadows.
“That guy’s risen the fastest,” Myo Cheon-woo said, looking enviously at the sky where Seo Jinha vanished. “A Cheonsal squad leader at his age. In terms of rank, I’m barely the dirt under his feet.”
“But you’re both squad leaders,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Lame joke,” Myo Cheon-woo replied, sighing. “Bu Eunseol, what’s your plan?”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t a simple mission. The standoff could drag on indefinitely,” Myo Cheon-woo said, frowning. “Why leave out Yoo Unryong? He’s prickly, but a major asset.”
“Because it’s critical, I left him out,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“What?”
“And this will end quickly. No need to prolong it.”
“What? How?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” Myo Cheon-woo sighed deeply.
Bu Eunseol never revealed his plans.
It was a trait of the cunning, but to Myo Cheon-woo, who felt friendship toward him, it was disheartening.
“Fine,” Myo Cheon-woo said.
He couldn’t force answers yet.
Bu Eunseol likely still saw friendship as a luxury. Myo Cheon-woo resolved once more to change that mindset someday.
“You’re not going?” he asked.
“Go ahead,” Bu Eunseol said, gazing at the distant sky. “It’s quiet here. I’ll think a bit and follow.”
Tilting his head, Myo Cheon-woo nodded. “Alright.”
As Myo Cheon-woo vanished with a swift movement, the forest fell silent again.
Bu Eunseol stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the sky. In a low voice, he said, “Done watching? Come out.”
The forest remained silent.
With a faint smirk, Bu Eunseol added, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll be stuck with my division round the clock. This is your only chance.”
Still, the forest was quiet.
Snorting softly, Bu Eunseol turned, looking into the deep woods. “The Martial Alliance’s assassins are only this capable?”
Rustle.
At his words, the bushes stirred, and dark figures emerged one by one.
Even under bright moonlight, their forms were as indistinct as mist. To ordinary folk, they’d be invisible even with heightened vision.
“Is this the Martial Alliance’s vaunted Ghostly Stealth Technique?” Bu Eunseol asked.
Like Majeon’s Nine Deaths Squad, the Martial Alliance had a covert unit for unofficial missions, trained in the mysterious Ghostly Stealth Technique.
“Impressive,” said a low voice from the man at the front. “No one has ever pierced our stealth before.”
“You haven’t met the masters of the Nangyang Pavilion,” Bu Eunseol replied.
The Nangyang Pavilion’s masters, trained in the Beast Way, possessed the martial world’s most acute senses. At the Void Heart Command level, Bu Eunseol’s senses covered dozens of yards effortlessly. At full power, he could scan over a hundred yards thoroughly.
“True, the Nangyang Pavilion’s Beast Way counters most stealth techniques,” the man admitted.
Swish.
His transparent form gradually regained color.
He wore glossy black robes, his face marked with countless fine scars.
“Judging by that odd attire, you’re from either the Iron Mask Division or the Star-Chasing Division,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Oh?” The man’s eyes gleamed. “You casually list the names of our alliance’s secret divisions, unknown to outsiders.”
Something clicked, and he smiled. “You’re from the Nine Deaths Squad.”
Bu Eunseol gave a confirming smile, and the man said calmly, “I’m Jin Baek, leader of the Star-Chasing Division.”
Taking a deep breath, Bu Eunseol smiled at Jin Baek. “Sent by Jo Cheonwang?”
He had killed Jo Cheonwang’s son, Jo Bi-un, with a single strike.
In a battlefield where righteous and demonic forces clashed, this was a golden opportunity for Jo Cheonwang.
“Is it your sharp mind or superior intelligence?” Jin Baek mused.
Bu Eunseol tilted his head. “But it’s curious.”
“What’s that?”
“Our journey to Hainan was top-secret,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Was it?” Jin Baek replied.
A faint memory flashed through Jin Baek’s mind—a meeting with Jo Cheonwang, the Martial Corps Leader, before coming here.
***
“What’s this?” Jin Baek asked, looking between a report on the table and Jo Cheonwang seated before it.
It was unusual for Jo Cheonwang, the Martial Corps Leader, to summon him, the Star-Chasing Corps Leader specializing in covert assassinations.
And a report out of the blue?
“Read it,” Jo Cheonwang said with a gesture.
Reluctantly, Jin Baek read the report.
“Death Shadow Corps Leader?”
It detailed that the Death Shadow Corps Leader, recently making waves in Majeon, was being sent to Oji Mountain over the Heavenly Thief affair.
“That’s a laughable piece of intel,” Jin Baek said, smirking.
The source was listed as Majeon itself.
“I thought so too at first,” Jo Cheonwang said gravely. “But it’s true. This came directly from the sect.”
“Then…” Jin Baek said, narrowing his eyes as he set the report down. “A borrowed knife to kill?”
A sect like Majeon could conceal its information’s source. But to deliberately leak it to Jo Cheonwang suggested one thing: someone high in the sect wanted Bu Eunseol dead.
“Exactly. Using my desire for revenge,” Jo Cheonwang said.
The Death Shadow Corps Leader was the enemy who killed his only son. Now, he was heading to a place where the Martial Alliance’s sword corps were in a standoff—a perfect chance for vengeance.
“So that’s why you called me,” Jin Baek said, nodding as he grasped the situation.
Unable to send a sect-level force to Hainan, Jo Cheonwang was deploying the Star-Chasing Division, the alliance’s top assassination unit.
“He’s said to have killed the Beggar King, one of the Seven Kings of Death,” Jo Cheonwang said, narrowing his eyes. “And he’s leading his division into the martial world.”
Trailing off, he implied that without a force capable of wiping out a small sect, killing him was impossible.
“But you and the Star-Chasing Division can do it,” Jo Cheonwang said in a low voice.
The Martial Alliance, like any power, had assassination units to protect its interests.
Looking at Jin Baek, he asked, “Can you handle it?”
Jin Baek accepted.
For two reasons: Bu Eunseol was the most renowned among the new generation of masters, and Jo Cheonwang offered the deputy leadership of the Martial Corps as a reward.
Every Martial Alliance warrior dreamed of joining the Seven Great Corps and becoming a corps leader. Jin Baek was no exception. After investigating Bu Eunseol, he headed to Oji Mountain with the Star-Chasing Division.
Tracking the Death Shadow Corps, he sought an assassination opportunity. The Ghostly Stealth Technique allowed them to remain undetected as long as they kept a hundred yards’ distance.
But observing the Death Shadow Corps, Jin Baek hit a snag.
Contrary to expectations, their members exuded remarkable presence. As an expert assassin, Jin Baek instantly recognized they were seasoned warriors, forged through rigorous training and combat.
While pondering, Bu Eunseol left his tent and moved elsewhere.
After everything unfolded, Bu Eunseol pinpointed his location.
‘Done watching? Come out.’
‘A trap?’ Jin Baek hesitated, having his men scout hundreds of yards around.
Bu Eunseol was alone.
‘Overconfident. Typical of young masters.’
Certain of Bu Eunseol’s solitude, Jin Baek revealed himself to eliminate him.
***
“Secret or not, it doesn’t matter,” Jin Baek said, his eyes sharpening as he emerged from his reverie. “You’re going to die.”
“So, someone from the sect leaked it,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding as if realizing something.
Jin Baek gave a cold smile. “I’d praise your wit, but it’s rather obvious.”
“You’re brimming with confidence,” Bu Eunseol said, chuckling. “An assassination unit revealing itself means they’re certain of the kill.”
“Assassination unit?” Jin Baek laughed softly, tilting his head.
Transparent shadows flickered around Bu Eunseol.
“You think we’re a mere assassination unit?” Jin Baek said, smiling. “We’re not hierarchical. We’re a collective of equals.”
The Star-Chasing Division’s assassins were far superior to typical assassination sect killers. Their techniques, rooted in the Martial Alliance’s martial arts, held their own in direct combat.
“You were too arrogant,” Jin Baek said, still smiling. “A common mistake among talented young warriors.”
In the martial world, a single misjudgment could mean death.
Bu Eunseol shouldn’t have flaunted his skills or been alone.
Snicker.
But Bu Eunseol burst out laughing.
It wasn’t the arrogant laugh of a young warrior showing off.
Jin Baek couldn’t understand.
‘He’s serious. He truly believes he won’t lose.’ To kill Bu Eunseol, Jin Baek had visited the Beggar’s Sect to investigate the circumstances.
He’d confirmed Bu Eunseol’s skills had reached the threshold of the Supreme Heaven Realm, and brought overwhelming force to ensure victory. Yet why was Bu Eunseol smiling so confidently?
“Arrogance?” Bu Eunseol said, still smiling. “I’ll throw that back at you.”
Thud.
He lightly struck a nearby tree.
A hidden Star-Chasing Division member’s form became visible.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from his neck.
Jin Baek’s eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost.
Striking Object to Release Energy.
This technique, shooting energy by striking an object, wasn’t particularly advanced. But Bu Eunseol had materialized intangible force into a blade-like strike. Such a feat was impossible for someone just entering the Supreme Heaven Realm.
“In that short time…” Jin Baek’s eyes wavered like a river. “You advanced your martial arts again?”
It hadn’t been long since Bu Eunseol killed the Beggar King.
Advancing further in such a high realm was nearly impossible. Yet in mere months, Bu Eunseol had reached a new level. Through studying the Martial Emperor’s Tranquil Awakening and his deadly spar with Yeop Hyocheon, he’d transcended his limits once more.
“Thrown off by a miscalculation?” Bu Eunseol said, sighing as he looked at Jin Baek. “Your presence is a third weaker than when I first saw you.”
Even the greatest masters falter when their spirit takes a hit, diminishing their presence and strength. Jin Baek had approached with absolute confidence in killing Bu Eunseol, which fueled his presence.
But realizing Bu Eunseol’s skills exceeded expectations, his confidence waned, shrinking his presence and weakening his body.
‘Now I understand why the great masters valued mental techniques.’
The body and mind are linked.
No matter how perfectly one trains their body and martial arts, a steadfast spirit is needed to control them fully.
Clang.
With a low sword hum, the Black Blade slowly emerged.
Bu Eunseol’s motion, drawing the blade, was like a reaper’s black claw emerging from dark mist.
“This will be a dull fight,” Bu Eunseol muttered, looking bored.
Jin Baek’s eyes trembled.
He realized he couldn’t win. The Star-Chasing Division faced annihilation.
“If you won’t come…” Bu Eunseol said, his eyes blazing with divine light as he took a deep breath.
“I’ll go to you!”
Swish! Swish!
Sharp forces swirled around him.
Unleashing the Thirteen Guiding Energies, the Martial Emperor’s supreme technique for group combat, Bu Eunseol prepared to strike.
Comments