The martial artists from Hell’s Blood Fortress who arrived at the abandoned manor had blackened fingernails and emitted a faint, acrid stench from their bodies. They were poison masters, naturally exuding toxins due to their mastery of supreme poison techniques.
“Those bastards!” Yeong Seon, the youngest of the Seven Swords of Wudang, muttered in a low voice as he eyed the poison masters from Hell’s Blood Fortress arriving behind Bu Eunseol.
“I am Ok Giryung, Hall Leader of the Blood Hand Hall of Hell’s Blood Fortress,” one of them declared.
Ok Giryung was known as the Hall Leader of the Blood Hand Hall, reputed to have mastered the most bizarre and sinister poison techniques within Hell’s Blood Fortress.
Yeong Heo, swallowing his surprise, sneered. “No wonder you were so bold. It was a trap after all.”
The Seven Swords of Wudang believed Bu Eunseol was pretending to travel alone while secretly deploying Hell’s Blood Fortress masters to ambush them.
‘What’s going on now?’ Ok Giryung thought, equally confused. He had come to deal with Bu Eunseol after pinpointing his location, only to find a group of Taoist priests gathered in formation.
“The Seven Swords of Wudang?” Ok Giryung muttered, his eyebrows twitching as he noticed the seven priests arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper. “What are these stinking Taoist brats doing here?”
His original goal was to eliminate Bu Eunseol, who was on his way to Majeon. To Hell’s Blood Fortress, Bu Eunseol was a sworn enemy who had killed their Blood Demon Hall Leader, Yang Myeong, and stolen the Spirit Snake Divine Sword. Allowing him to become a candidate for the Demon Emperor’s successor was unthinkable.
“Stinking Taoist brats?” Yeong Heo shouted, his brow furrowing. “We’ve come to eradicate the demonic scourge disrupting the martial world!”
Ok Giryung’s expression hardened. By calling them a demonic scourge, Yeong Heo was including Ok Giryung and the Blood Hand Hall masters in his condemnation.
Sweeping his cold gaze over the Seven Swords of Wudang and Bu Eunseol, Ok Giryung barked, “Wipe them all out!”
The Blood Hand Hall was one of the three great poison halls of Hell’s Blood Fortress. Its members had mastered at least three stars of the Blood Shadow Poison Hand, one of the fortress’s three supreme poison techniques. Their Blood Shadow Poison Hand Formation formed an intricate, net-like structure, making retreat nearly impossible once it was deployed.
“Seven Swords of Wudang, eliminate these demonic fiends!” Yeong Heo commanded.
At that moment, Ok Giryung unleashed a torrent of Blood Shadow Poison Hand energy toward Bu Eunseol’s back.
Whoosh!
The deadly poison, capable of melting iron on contact, surged toward Bu Eunseol. But—
Boom!
It was repelled as if striking an invisible wall, unable to advance further.
Bu Eunseol had used the Fist Demon Manifestation of the Seven Fist Demon Forms to deflect the Blood Shadow Poison Hand in an instant.
“You bastard!” Ok Giryung roared, enraged, doubling his attack with another wave of poison energy.
But Bu Eunseol had already dodged, and Yeong Hyeon, one of the Seven Swords charging forward, was caught in the poisonous onslaught.
“You scum!” the remaining Seven Swords shouted, furious.
They unleashed their Lesser Clarity Swords against the Blood Hand Hall masters.
“Do you think we fear your petty poison techniques?” they cried.
The Seven Swords of Wudang, brimming with pride, countered the poison masters’ attacks with their Yang Intent Swords and Lesser Clarity Swords, pushing back the toxic energy.
Hum.
Crackle.
Meanwhile, Bu Eunseol used Swift Beyond Shadow to slip away from the battlefield unnoticed.
‘They’re handling it well,’ he thought, standing behind some bushes, leisurely observing the clash between the Seven Swords and the Blood Hand Hall. ‘As expected of the Seven Swords… They’re wielding their swords without fear of the Blood Hand Hall’s poison techniques.’
He watched the fierce battle with a relaxed air.
‘This won’t end easily,’ he thought.
The situation was evenly matched. The Blood Hand Hall had the numerical advantage, but the Seven Swords had committed to a purely defensive sword technique. Their impenetrable sword barrier kept the effects of poisoning minimal.
‘Their defense is impressive, but it lacks sharpness. That’s the hallmark of Wudang’s swordsmanship,’ Bu Eunseol mused.
Most of Wudang’s sword techniques emphasized defense, often lacking in precision.
‘The Tai Chi Wisdom Sword might be different, but the Lesser Clarity Sword is dull,’ he thought, yawning as he watched the fight with disinterest.
“You idiot Taoists! He’s over there!” Ok Giryung, bloodied and commanding his men, shouted.
He had finally noticed Bu Eunseol standing idly at a distance, watching the battle.
“So what?” the Seven Swords retorted, gritting their teeth and continuing their sword techniques without pause.
Most of them were lightly poisoned, but their profound inner power could expel the toxins. Still, they were furious at the Blood Hand Hall’s relentless poison attacks.
“You demonic pests!” Yeong Heo thundered. “You’ve been wreaking havoc in the martial world, poisoning innocent people!”
“We’ll make you pay for your crimes!” he declared.
Watching the ferocious clash between the Seven Swords and the Blood Hand Hall, Bu Eunseol turned and walked away.
***
Bu Eunseol emerged from the forest and entered a nearby village. Wandering the market to grab a bite, he found the inns bustling with people at lunchtime.
‘Should I disguise myself?’ he thought. Wherever he went, people stared as if imprinting his image in their minds. Standing a head taller than most men, with striking features visible through his long hair, he drew the gazes of women and men alike.
‘No, that’s a pointless thought,’ he decided. The Face and Bone Shifting Art allowed him to alter his facial structure easily, but it constantly consumed a tenth of his inner power. Even with his increased inner power, it still drained a fixed tenth.
‘No choice. The Face and Bone Shifting Art alters the pathways and positions of energy channels,’ he reasoned. Changing his facial structure disrupted the smooth flow of his energy, always consuming a tenth of his true energy.
‘That place looks good,’ he thought. In an alley off the market stood a small, rundown inn. Its sign was so worn it was barely legible, likely frequented by locals seeking cheap meals rather than outsiders.
Creak.
As he opened the door, the interior of the dilapidated inn came into view. Despite it being lunchtime, the place was quiet, with no other customers in sight.
“Welcome,” an elderly man said, greeting Bu Eunseol as he cleared plates.
With only about seven tables, it seemed the owner handled everything himself, without hiring servers.
“What would you like?” the old man asked, scratching his head sheepishly. “We only have plain noodles and dumplings for food, and only white liquor for drink.”
“Then give me three bottles of white liquor,” Bu Eunseol said.
Since his inner power had surged, his appetite had drastically decreased. He could go three days without eating and feel no hunger, thanks to reaching the fifth stage of the Ban-geuk Method, where his energy circulated endlessly.
Pour.
One glass, then two, and soon he had emptied all three bottles.
As he prepared to leave, a clear voice called from behind. “Bu Eunseol.”
Turning, he saw a woman in white, her face veiled, approaching from the inn’s entrance. Her cool, piercing eyes, like polished obsidian, were captivating, yet an unapproachable aura emanated from her. The sword at her waist seemed to radiate a bone-chilling cold.
‘A master from the Sword Pavilion,’ Bu Eunseol thought. The sword at her waist, including its scabbard, was entirely white—a hallmark of the Sword Pavilion, the only sect in the martial world to use such a weapon.
“Are you Bu Eunseol, the Ten Demon Warrior of Nangyang Pavilion?” she asked.
Meeting her gaze, Bu Eunseol felt as if he were standing alone on a frozen lake. “Yes,” he replied.
A silver glint flashed in the veiled woman’s eyes, as if she were projecting sword energy through her gaze. “I am A-Yeon, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion,” she said, raising two fingers and pressing her palms together in the Lotus Prayer gesture, symbolizing a mind untainted by worldly desires.
‘The Sword Pavilion is a sect rooted in the Secret Sect,’ Bu Eunseol thought. Though all Sword Pavilion disciples grew their hair long, it was merely part of their ascetic practice. Rooted in the Secret Sect, they maintained a solemn demeanor.
“Do you have business with me?” Bu Eunseol asked.
In a cold, low voice, A-Yeon said, “Since emerging in the martial world, you’ve consistently killed righteous masters. Do you acknowledge this?”
It was an abrupt question.
Though slightly taken aback, Bu Eunseol met A-Yeon’s gaze and nodded. “Yes.”
“Will you continue to harm the righteous masters of the orthodox sects?” she asked.
Killing righteous masters hadn’t been Bu Eunseol’s choice but a consequence of Majeon’s strict orders. Though those orders had been halted by the Demon Emperor’s command, the Ten Demon Warriors and righteous masters were destined to clash.
“Is that why you’ve come to confront me?” Bu Eunseol asked bluntly.
A-Yeon fixed her cold eyes on his face. “If you continue to harm innocent orthodox martial artists…” Her voice grew colder. “The Sword Pavilion will have no choice but to break our vow against killing.”
The Sword Pavilion was a Secret Sect of women in the martial world, known for minimizing their activities. Despite producing righteous masters, they rarely appeared in the martial world. Even Bu Eunseol, who had memorized the traits of countless sects, had overlooked the Sword Pavilion.
Yet here they were, sending a disciple to restrain him.
“Are you a righteous master?” Bu Eunseol asked, a bitter edge to his voice.
A-Yeon shook her head. “No. I haven’t aspired to be a righteous master.”
“Then you must be the Sword Pavilion’s legitimate successor,” he said.
Her eyebrow twitched slightly, but she remained silent—a sufficient answer.
‘A successor, not a righteous master…’ Bu Eunseol thought.
For generations, the Sword Pavilion had protected the orthodox martial world, dealing with evildoers. When an untouchable great demon appeared, they sent not ordinary disciples but their successor into the martial world.
“Amusing,” Bu Eunseol said. “To think I’ve become a villain the Sword Pavilion fears.”
As he summoned his inner power, a blood-red glow, like burning charcoal, began to form in his eyes. “Shall we begin?”
