‘So that bastard became the master of the Thousand Souls Blood.’
It was known that awakening the Thousand Souls Blood required the blood of exactly one thousand martial artists who had cultivated inner energy.
‘Then all the trials up to now were meant to awaken the Thousand Souls Blood.’
Only now did Bu Eunseol grasp the true meaning of the Eight Sword Tomb Rules and the trials.
‘They must have changed the trial conditions each time to awaken different demonic swords.’
The Heaven-Human Cult had established the Sword Tomb long ago.
Each time, they had proclaimed the Eight Sword Tomb Rules and selected sacrifices that perfectly matched the awakening conditions of specific demonic swords. And the three trials that had stirred the demonic nature and madness of this round’s participants had been preparations to awaken the Thousand Souls Blood.
‘Then there must have been many other swords besides the Thousand Souls Blood.’
The fact that Cheon Hwain, who arrived late, obtained a legendary demonic sword like the Thousand Souls Blood meant the Heaven-Human Cult had been continuously offering sacrifices to awaken demonic swords long before this.
‘But… how could a mere demonic sect obtain so many demonic swords of that caliber?’
There weren’t many legendary demonic swords like the Thousand Souls Blood in the martial world, and their kinds were extremely limited. Yet the scale and traces of the Sword Tomb made it seem as though every known demonic sword in existence had been planted here.
That meant the Heaven-Human Cult either possessed far greater power and influence than the world knew… or there was an immensely powerful backer behind them.
“You.”
At that moment, Cheon Hwain spotted Bu Eunseol.
Fortunately, the black ghost mask hid his identity.
“Hehehe.” But to Cheon Hwain, whose eyes and mouth overflowed with killing intent, it meant nothing.
“So there was still one rat left alive.”
As Cheon Hwain glared at the black-masked Bu Eunseol and poured black energy from his pupils—
KIIIIIII!
A shrill demonic wail echoed.
It sounded like the furious cry of a sword still starving for human blood.
“Where did you get that demonic sword?” Bu Eunseol had no choice but to ask.
He had been trapped for some time in the collapsed underground mechanism after fighting the black-masked envoys, so he had no idea how Cheon Hwain obtained the Thousand Souls Blood or what had happened to the rest of the Heaven-Human Cult members.
“I’ll kill… everyone…”
But Cheon Hwain was no longer sane.
His eyes were rolled back white, drool mixed with a murderous grin dripping from his mouth.
All the corpses here had surely been massacred by Cheon Hwain using the Thousand Souls Blood.
“Hehehehe.” Cheon Hwain let out a sinister laugh as he stared at the black-masked Bu Eunseol.
With jaundice-yellow eyes and skin flushed crimson, he looked exactly like a demon that had crawled up from the depths of hell.
“Hehehehe!” With every laugh, black smoke seemed to spread, darkening the entire world.
‘Was this his fate all along?’
Even if he had never become the Mount Hua Sect leader.
Even if he had never become a Captain of the Martial Alliance.
Cheon Hwain had possessed every opportunity and condition to live a good life.
He had simply squandered every chance due to his crooked and narrow-minded nature, eventually forced to leave the Mount Hua Sect.
Bu Eunseol had thought Cheon Hwain fell into an irreversible abyss because he could not overcome despair.
But that had been wrong.
From the very beginning, Cheon Hwain was a villain with a cruel and dark heart destined to walk the path of a demon.
“Hehe.” Cheon Hwain stared at Bu Eunseol with pitch-black eyes.
Then instantly aimed the demonic sword at him.
Drip.
When Bu Eunseol met the gaze of the Thousand Souls Blood’s tip, he heard the sound of a water droplet falling in his ears. At the same time, his vision went dark, and his entire body turned wooden—every sense vanished.
The Thousand Souls Blood.
It possessed the terrifying ability to rob a person’s spirit and senses simply by being looked upon.
Buzzzz.
Bu Eunseol tried to unfold Wishful True Binding, but only faint ripples rose from his body; no tangible energy spread.
The aftermath of maintaining Harmony for so long had temporarily sealed not only his cultivation but also the Two Divine Energies and Righteous-Demonic Indestructible Body.
‘This is dangerous.’
The sealing of all his powers was a natural reaction to recover the scattered energies…
But Cheon Hwain, wielding the Thousand Souls Blood, would not wait.
Whoosh!
In that instant, pitch-black sword aura shot toward Bu Eunseol’s forehead.
Tssss!
Bu Eunseol hastily tried to execute the footwork of Swift Beyond Shadow. But with all internal energy gone, his movements were sluggish.
Slash!
The Thousand Souls Blood’s sword aura grazed his sleeve.
Instantly, Bu Eunseol felt as though the blood in his body had evaporated.
Even the slightest touch triggered the sword’s bizarre power.
“Wuhahahaha!” Cheon Hwain roared with mad laughter and swung the Thousand Souls Blood wildly. “Pathetic little rat!”
Every time the Thousand Souls Blood’s blade cut through the air, sharp sword auras left clear afterimages.
Those afterimages lingered for a long time without fading.
The more Cheon Hwain swung, the more the entire area filled with the Thousand Souls Blood’s lingering sword auras.
Swish.
As Bu Eunseol retreated, a strand of his hair brushed against an afterimage in the air.
It was instantly severed as if cut by a razor-sharp blade.
‘Bare hands won’t work.’
Scanning the surroundings, Bu Eunseol quickly crouched and pulled a sword from the Sword Tomb.
Shluck.
The remaining demonic swords, having failed to absorb enough blood due to the tomb’s collapse, came out easily without resistance.
Swish!
Bu Eunseol immediately unleashed the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms.
Demonic sword arts like the Supreme Heavenly Flow or the Seven Blood Tear Forms prioritized raw power, requiring corresponding inner energy to execute properly.
But orthodox sword arts like the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms were different.
They aimed to subdue enemies through profound principles rather than brute force, making them suitable for his current state with scattered inner energy.
Whirr!
Using the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms, Bu Eunseol reflected the Thousand Souls Blood’s sword auras back at Cheon Hwain.
Shuu! Shuu!
But the reflected auras were instantly absorbed by the Thousand Souls Blood.
As it turned out, what the terrifying demonic sword emitted was not mere sword aura but the grudges and demonic energy it harbored.
‘Then…’ Instead, Bu Eunseol closed the distance and began slashing directly at Cheon Hwain’s body with profound sword moves.
Thanks to his deep mastery of swordsmanship, he could still display remarkable power without inner energy.
―KIIIIIII!
A demonic wail like a banshee’s cry rang from the Thousand Souls Blood, and Cheon Hwain began neutralizing Bu Eunseol’s strikes one by one.
Clang clang!
But something was off.
No matter how Bu Eunseol attacked, Cheon Hwain swung madly like a lunatic. Upon closer look, it wasn’t Cheon Hwain moving—the Thousand Souls Blood was defending on its own.
Clang! Thud thud.
As their weapons continuously clashed, the demonic sword Bu Eunseol held finally shattered into pieces and scattered across the ground. This monstrous demonic sword that used extreme grudge as its power source crushed ordinary demonic swords like cookies.
‘Just holding it is like mastering the Martial Emperor’s sword arts.’
The Thousand Souls Blood could not only nullify all external force but also autonomously block every attack aimed at its wielder. It was as if the Martial Emperor’s martial arts and Radiant Sword Control had been combined.
Moreover, it could destroy any demonic sword it clashed with—making it even more terrifying than the Martial Emperor’s blade arts in some ways.
Tap. Shluck.
Unfazed, Bu Eunseol quickly discarded the broken sword and pulled another demonic sword from the tomb. He continued unleashing the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms combined with Grafting Flowers onto Jade, deflecting Cheon Hwain’s attacks.
Crack. Thud thud.
But again, the demonic sword could not withstand the Thousand Souls Blood’s power and shattered.
Bu Eunseol calmly kept drawing new demonic swords from the tomb.
The Thousand Souls Blood was a legendary demonic sword renowned throughout martial history.
Even divine swords would not last long against it.
Thus, Bu Eunseol continuously retreated, grabbing whatever demonic swords he could to face Cheon Hwain. Since many swords still remained in the Sword Tomb, he could hold out for a while.
Clang thud! Crack! Thud thud.
But now the remaining demonic swords were in poor condition; they cracked or shattered on impact.
‘There aren’t many demonic swords left.’
Glancing sideways at the half-collapsed Sword Tomb, Bu Eunseol bit his lip. Soon there would be no swords left to face the Thousand Souls Blood.
“Hehehe. Running out of swords, aren’t you?” Cheon Hwain stopped and laughed sinisterly.
Tap.
Seizing the opening, Bu Eunseol swiftly retreated and drew another demonic sword.
“Yes, keep resisting like that. It makes killing you all the sweeter.” Cheon Hwain licked his red tongue, eyes gleaming with ecstasy. “I’ll peel your flesh piece by piece and make you die in agony.”
‘Is this the price for maintaining Harmony so long?’
Neither his cultivation nor the Two Divine Energies had returned. If he had calmly circulated energy while injured, he could have recovered instantly. But the moment he escaped the underground mechanism, he had been forced into a deathmatch with Cheon Hwain, and his condition only worsened.
“Huu, huu.” Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed as he panted heavily.
Even with all internal energy sealed, he was short of breath. That meant the Thousand Souls Blood also possessed the ability to drain the enemy’s stamina.
If this continued, he might collapse absurdly at Cheon Hwain’s hands.
“Hahaha!” Cheon Hwain roared with laughter and swung the Thousand Souls Blood again.
Bu Eunseol swiftly used footwork to dodge, but the black ghost mask he wore grazed the sword aura.
Crack. Thud.
The mask he had just put back on split in two and fell to the ground.
At the same time, Bu Eunseol’s face—disguised as Seon Woojin—gradually came into view.
“You…” Black flames ignited in Cheon Hwain’s eyes.
Seon Woojin.
The man who had stolen the position of Captain of the Supreme Branch that should have been his, founded by Martial Alliance Elder Gu Injeong.
The man who had pushed him—already sidelined in the Mount Hua Sect succession—into complete ruin.
The lowly merchant-born bastard who made him tear his hair out in rage even in his sleep.
In the collapsed Sword Tomb, the one daring to face him with pathetic martial arts was none other than Seon Woojin?
“Hehehehe. Hahahahaha!”
Cheon Hwain burst into manic laughter.
Thanks to the Thousand Souls Blood’s demonic power, he now possessed infinite cultivation, stamina, killing intent, and strength. Even if the Demonic or Heavenly Emperor stood before him, he would fight without fear—overflowing with confidence and power.
Yet his most hated enemy, the one he could chew up a thousand times and still not satisfy his grudge, stood right there…
He could not contain his joy.
“You bastard!” Cheon Hwain charged like a black storm cloud.
Swish swish swish swish swish!
The Thousand Souls Blood blade spun like a windmill, unleashing sword auras that seemed to pulverize Bu Eunseol’s body. Bu Eunseol retreated continuously while executing the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms, but the sword auras pursued him relentlessly like living creatures, grazing his flesh.
“Die!” Finally catching a fatal opening, Cheon Hwain swung the Thousand Souls Blood wide with a thunderous shout.
―KIIIIIII!
As if responding to his demonic energy, a colossal sword aura surged skyward from the Thousand Souls Blood and crashed down toward Bu Eunseol.
BOOM!
With an explosive roar, a section of the Sword Tomb was completely obliterated.
Tsssss!
Bu Eunseol barely dodged the strike, but white smoke rose from his body.
With internal energy sealed, every graze from the Thousand Souls Blood’s aura instantly evaporated his blood and moisture.
“Now you’ll feel it too.” Black mist billowed from Cheon Hwain’s eyes as he stared at the struggling Bu Eunseol.
“The despair I felt! The helplessness!”
Black mist poured from his mouth; he looked like a hellish wraith about to swallow the world.
“…” Bu Eunseol’s gaze remained calm.
Even facing a madman wielding a legendary demonic sword with all powers sealed, he stayed cold, analyzing the situation and seeking only a way to defeat his enemy.
Thud.
At that moment, Bu Eunseol noticed a lump of metal beneath his foot.
It had been forced up from the ground by the aftermath of Cheon Hwain’s sword aura.
‘A sword?’ He hesitated.
Cheon Hwain was gathering power for a killing blow.
If it wasn’t a sword—or merely a broken fragment—he would expose a fatal opening by bending down.
‘Anything will do.’
In his current state, he could not block Cheon Hwain’s full-powered strike. He had no choice but to gamble on whatever lay beneath his foot.
Shluck.
Quickly reaching down, he pulled it out.
Buzzzz.
A low vibration rang out as the buried object revealed itself.
‘An iron sword?’
It was nothing more than a shabby, rusted iron sword.
“DIE!” Seizing the moment, Cheon Hwain swung the Thousand Souls Blood wide.
A crescent-shaped colossal sword aura surged to cleave Bu Eunseol in half.
It was so fast that Bu Eunseol could not even swing the iron sword and instead rolled across the ground.
Yet the Thousand Souls Blood’s aura still carved a deep wound across his shoulder as it passed.
“Hehehe.” Originally, Cheon Hwain would have followed up instantly to sever his throat.
But seeing Bu Eunseol roll pathetically across the filthy ground, he stopped and laughed in exhilaration.
“Hahahaha! How pathetic you look!”
Renowned martial masters would rather die than roll on the ground to dodge—an act called the Lazy Donkey Roll.
But Bu Eunseol had no such pride as a martial artist.
If it meant surviving, he would stick out his backside and spin like a monkey even if it meant performing a Monkey Flip.
Clank.
Rising again, Bu Eunseol’s eyes flashed as he gripped the iron sword.
Cheon Hwain laughed even harder, clearly amused.
“You picked up some impressive trash. You think that can face my Thousand Souls Blood?”
Bu Eunseol silently glared at Cheon Hwain.
Yet strangely…
The moment he grasped the dull iron sword, an inexplicable sense of exhilaration surged through him. Moreover, the energy flowing from the blade seemed to untangle his twisted meridians and infuse strength into his weary flesh.
“You dodged well like a flea, but now it ends.”
WHOOSH!
Cheon Hwain swung the Thousand Souls Blood wide.
Sharp sword auras began filling the space around Bu Eunseol.
He had deliberately sealed all escape routes with a deadly sword aura.
“After I take your head, I’ll go to the Martial Alliance and cut the throats of those old bastards who humiliated me.”
Billow billow.
Enraged, Cheon Hwain was completely shrouded in the black mist pouring from the Thousand Souls Blood. He resembled a demon with only yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness.
‘I have to counter.’
The Thousand Souls Blood’s sword auras had completely blocked retreat. With inner energy still sealed, he had no choice but to meet it with this sword.
Whiiiing!
With a whistling sound, sword aura shot from the black mist toward Bu Eunseol’s head.
CLANG!
A clear ring echoed as ripples spread in all directions.
Bu Eunseol had effortlessly blocked the Thousand Souls Blood’s sword aura with the iron sword in his hand.
Hummm! Hummm!
A low vibration rang out—but it felt pleasant.
This was no ordinary iron sword; it was a mysterious blade capable of easily withstanding the Thousand Souls Blood’s destructive power.
“You blocked it?” Killing intent flashing, Cheon Hwain swung the Thousand Souls Blood again from within the black mist.
Swish swish!
Cloud-like sword auras poured toward Bu Eunseol.
But Bu Eunseol charged straight into them, unleashing the Thirteen Iron Sword Forms.
SWISH!
Using the profound principle of Grafting Flowers onto Jade to reflect the incoming auras, a fierce whistling sound rang out.
Whoosh!
The sword auras vanished completely, revealing Cheon Hwain hidden in the mist.
“Haaap!” Seizing the opening, Bu Eunseol closed the distance in an instant and swung the iron sword.
Clang! CLANG!
Clear sword cries rang as their weapons clashed repeatedly.
Cheon Hwain tried desperately to shatter Bu Eunseol’s sword, but each time his own hands went numb.
“How…” Losing to a shabby iron sword, Cheon Hwain roared at the Thousand Souls Blood. “What kind of demonic sword can’t even break that rusty piece of junk?!”
KIIIIIII!
The Thousand Souls Blood let out an irritated, furious sword cry.
GRRRRR.
The cry turned into a monstrous roar as the Thousand Souls Blood began transforming into a jagged, grotesque blade.
Grrr. Grrr.
Finally, the motionless Thousand Souls Blood’s blade had become beast-like, covered in bizarre scales.
It also spewed immense demonic energy like black mist.
“So this is your true power!”
Dark luster flowed across Cheon Hwain’s skin as he gripped the Thousand Souls Blood and black smoke poured from his mouth with every breath. The overwhelming demonic energy from the sword infused his mind and body with tremendous power.
GRRR!
A strange sword cry rang from the Thousand Souls Blood.
At the same time, black sword aura erupted from beneath Bu Eunseol’s feet—
CRUNCH!
It instantly contracted like a sphere, swallowing him whole.
Like the Supreme Heavenly Flow’s fourth form, Caged Bird Yearning for Clouds, it freely manipulated sword aura to tear Bu Eunseol apart in an instant.
It should have torn him apart.
Whooo!
A gust blew from within the black sphere as faint light began leaking out.
CRASH!
The encircling black sword aura shattered all at once, and above it, the black iron sword slowly revealed itself.
Bu Eunseol had smashed the encroaching sphere with the iron sword in his hand.
Hummm! Hummm!
The sword let out low cries.
‘The Two Divine Energies?’
The vibration conveyed a demand—no, a plea—for Bu Eunseol’s Crystal Divine Energy and Thunder Spirit Energy.
‘The sword is asking for the Two Divine Energies?’
Bu Eunseol was stunned.
A sword was demanding the Two Divine Energies, powers drawn from the great forces of nature?
Hummm hummm!
When the sword seemed to whine again, Bu Eunseol could barely contain his disbelief.
‘I want to give them, but every energy in my body is sealed!’
Had it read his thoughts?
The vibration from the sword intensified, and suddenly a strange power flowed into Bu Eunseol’s meridians.
His twisted meridians began realigning, and—
Whoosh. Crackle.
The sealed Two Divine Energies returned to their original state.
Almost instinctively, Bu Eunseol naturally channeled those energies into the sword.
Buzzzz.
Faint radiance flashed from the blade, gradually revealing mysterious patterns glowing gold and crimson across the sword body.
Hummm.
As the light from the patterns intensified, the sword cried out.
It sounded like it was roaring to hurry and destroy the Thousand Souls Blood.
‘What in the world is this sword?’
Divine swords only benefited humans, while demonic swords demanded something in return to unleash their powers.
But this sword was neither.
It demanded, yet what it wanted was the Two Divine Energies that no demonic sword could contain.
And to drink those energies, it even realigned Bu Eunseol’s meridians… a bizarre ability.
“What the hell is that?!” Cheon Hwain swung the Thousand Souls Blood again at the mysteriously glowing demonic sword.
BOOM!
The black mist pouring from the Thousand Souls Blood took the shape of a beast and wrapped around Bu Eunseol.
CRASH!
The swing sent Bu Eunseol flying backward with an explosive roar.
‘Did it just change its appearance for show?’
He had expected Thunder Spirit Energy or Crystal Divine Energy to erupt since both were infused. But the two powers seemed only used to form the patterns, showing no special might.
“DIE!”
BOOM! BOOM!
Beast-shaped sword auras continuously poured from the Thousand Souls Blood.
‘I can’t block that.’ Bu Eunseol silently whispered to the sword that now merely sparkled with mysterious patterns.
Whooo!
The glow from the patterns intensified, and once again cool energy flowed into Bu Eunseol’s body.
‘It broke through.’ Blocked meridians instantly opened, restoring his ability to use inner energy.
WHOOSH!
Pouring inner energy into the sword and swinging, all the beast-like sword auras vanished.
Flash flash!
With inner energy infused, the demonic sword emitted blinding radiance with every swing.
SWISH!
The Waning Moon, Dawn Star’s sword aura cleaved through the mist, revealing Cheon Hwain hidden within.
“How?!”
‘Now!’
Spotting Cheon Hwain’s opening, Bu Eunseol poured inner energy into a full-powered swing.
Shiiiiiiiing!
The world seemed to slow as crimson radiance extended slowly from the sword toward Cheon Hwain’s neck.
Transcendent Meteor Surpassing Form.
The peerless sword art combining the essence of Supreme Heavenly Flow and Seven Blood Tear Forms unfolded once more.
CLAAAANG!
the Thousand Souls Blood desperately formed a black sword barrier to protect its master, blocking the Meteor Surpassing Form’s aura.
But Bu Eunseol’s sword move transformed again.
SWISH!
Suddenly dozens of sword auras rained down like a storm from above Cheon Hwain.
The fourth form of Supreme Heavenly Flow that could freely prepare and redirect sword auras—Caged Bird Yearning for Clouds Form.
Papapapapak.
The storm of sword auras pierced his entire body, and Cheon Hwain froze.
“Ah…” Pierced all over by Caged Bird Yearning for Clouds, Cheon Hwain’s eyes cleared as the demonic energy dissipated.
“I…”
Memories of slaughtering countless people while insane seemed to return; he trembled with unfocused eyes.
“Seon Woojin.”
Looking up, Cheon Hwain stared calmly into Bu Eunseol’s eyes and spoke softly.
“You… never saw me here.”
Those were his final words in this world.
BOOM!
With an explosion, his body scattered in all directions.
The moment life left him, he could no longer contain the Thousand Souls Blood’s energy and exploded in violent death.
Thud thud.
Only red fragments and bodily fluids remained where Cheon Hwain had stood.
Clang.
The Thousand Souls Blood fell pathetically to the ground.
Hummm! Hummm!
Low sword cries rang from the sword Bu Eunseol held.
The patterns on the blade began glowing like the sun.
“Destroy it?” The demonic sword was urging him to immediately shatter the fallen Thousand Souls Blood.
“You can destroy the Thousand Souls Blood?”
Bu Eunseol asked, looking down at the sword.
HUMMMMM!
The sword cried out louder, as if thrilled.
KYAAAAAAA!
Had it sensed its end?
Or was it furious at being defeated without unleashing its full power?
A scream-like wail erupted from the fallen Thousand Souls Blood.
“Demonic swords like this must vanish from the martial world.” Bu Eunseol walked toward the Thousand Souls Blood.
Hummm!
Using Void Grasp, he lifted the Thousand Souls Blood into the air and struck the blade with all his might.
DONG!
A bell-like sound that seemed to shake the heavens rang out.
Thud. Crack.
The Thousand Souls Blood fell to the ground in pieces, spilling blood like a human.
Yet the sword Bu Eunseol held remained unscratched.
Instead, the patterns glowed even more intensely, as if a monster happily patting its belly after a satisfying meal.
GRRRRR.
With a monstrous roar as if its task was complete, the mysterious patterns on the blade slowly faded away.
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