Boom boom boom!
The five streams of claw shadows not only targeted Hyeok Sojin’s face but also spread in all directions, sealing off his escape routes.
“Urgh.” Hyeok Sojin had no choice but to leap into the air to evade the onslaught of claw shadows.
But Black Impermanence’s specialty was unpredictable chain attacks at close range. The moment Hyeok Sojin landed, Black Impermanence raised his razor-sharp claws and unleashed a tempest of claw techniques, like a raging storm.
Whoosh! Slash!
The tips of his claws aimed for Hyeok Sojin’s eyes, then, in an instant, he leaped into the air, striking at the Baihui acupoint. Like lightning, he landed and targeted Hyeok Sojin’s lower abdomen.
“Excellent!” As Black Impermanence gained the upper hand with his seamless chain of attacks between air and ground, Hyeok Sojin stopped dodging. Instead, he summoned his inner energy and launched a counterattack.
With his left hand, he unleashed the Dark Heaven Demon Dragon Palm to neutralize the force of the Black Vigor Demon Claw. With his right, he executed the Ten Thousand Thunder Blood Sword, thrusting at Black Impermanence’s neck and lower abdomen. In the blink of an eye, over forty exchanges of close-quarters combat unfolded, forcing Black Impermanence to leap back in shock.
‘This guy?’ Black Impermanence’s eyes widened.
As a master from the Blood Gate, he was well-versed in demonic martial arts. He immediately recognized that Hyeok Sojin’s techniques were not from the righteous factions but were instead lost demonic arts of the highest caliber, causing his eyes to bulge.
“You’re not from the righteous factions.”
“Let’s skip the unnecessary chatter.”
“What did you say?”
Instead of responding, Hyeok Sojin twisted the grip of his sword in his right hand and summoned the Divine Rift Demon Energy. A fierce purple radiance erupted from his entire body.
“When you fight, you burn everything!” As the battle between Hyeok Sojin and Black Impermanence intensified, Bu Eunseol, who had been staring down Gongsun Guryeong, slowly reached for the sword behind his back.
Shing.
As the black sword slid from its sheath, a resonant sword cry echoed, and a chilling aura spread in all directions.
“I’ll handle this one. You all take care of that pale ghost.” At Bu Eunseol’s words, Zhuge Seoun, Moyong Kyung, and the Hwangbo brothers blinked in disbelief.
‘What is he talking about?’ The deranged murderer, Gongsun Guryeong, who posed as a doctor while dissecting young men, was known to have skills approaching the Transcendent Realm—far beyond what was expected. Moreover, his aura surpassed even that of Black and White Impermanence, who had appeared afterward. And yet, Bu Eunseol intended to face him alone?
“You bastard!” At that moment, a thunderous shout rang out as Black Impermanence’s Black Vigor Demon Claw wove through the air.
Hyeok Sojin, cloaked in purple radiance, deftly countered each move of the Black Vigor Demon Claw with confidence.
Shudder.
Zhuge Seoun and his group trembled.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Hyeok Sojin—a master capable of facing Black Impermanence alone in the Transcendent Realm?
‘We can win!’ Seeing Hyeok Sojin display such formidable skill, they realized Bu Eunseol must also possess extraordinary abilities. With this realization, courage surged within Zhuge Seoun’s group, and their frozen bodies began to move.
“Hah!” Hwangbo Cheongyeong was the first to attack.
As he twisted his fist and thrust it forward, a force like the heavens collapsing crashed toward White Impermanence’s face.
“Cute moves for a cute face,” White Impermanence said, casually dodging the punch and licking his lips with a red tongue as he eyed the Hwangbo brothers.
“I’ll make sure to pamper you before I kill you.”
“Don’t make me laugh!” Enraged, the Hwangbo brothers simultaneously unleashed their fist techniques. A colossal force, like an entire mountain crashing from the sky, poured forth.
It was the Heavenly King’s Three Fists, a signature technique of the Hwangbo Family, renowned across the martial world.
“We’ll help too!” Emboldened by the sight, Zhuge Seoun and Moyong Kyung drew their Six Harmony Fan and sword, respectively.
“Ho ho ho.” Despite the combined assault of four peak-level masters, White Impermanence laughed leisurely, spinning his body. A white shadow spread in all directions, disorienting their vision. It was one of White Impermanence’s specialties, the Hundred Dance Demon Play.
Swish swish swish.
With the sound of scattering paper, White Impermanence’s shadow multiplied into dozens, surrounding the four prodigies.
“Damn it!” The Hwangbo brothers unleashed the Heavenly King’s Three Fists in succession, but they couldn’t even graze the hem of White Impermanence’s robes.
“Is he a ghost?!” Hwangbo Cheongyeong shouted.
Zhuge Seoun’s eyes flashed as he yelled, “Not a ghost! He’s using a reverse formation to leave afterimages, executing a movement technique akin to an illusion!”
As a direct descendant of the Zhuge Family, he was well-versed in formations and their principles. He instantly recognized that the afterimages of the Hundred Dance Demon Play were a movement technique infused with formation principles.
“Attack the four directions—east, west, south, and north—simultaneously, and the illusions will vanish!”
At Zhuge Seoun’s command, Moyong Kyung and the Hwangbo brothers immediately struck in different directions with their swords and fists. The chaotic movements of White Impermanence’s shadows faltered, and the afterimages began to disappear one by one.
‘Now!’ Seizing the moment, Zhuge Seoun poured all his strength into unleashing the Six Harmony Fan Technique.
Slash!
With a sharp sound cutting through the air, the Wind Below the Sky technique grazed White Impermanence’s face, scattering leaves in its wake.
Drip drip.
Red blood droplets trickled down White Impermanence’s pale, powdered cheek.
“You brats.” His eyes gleamed with a chilling light as he stared at the blood on his cheek. “As expected of the Eight Great Families’ spawn, you’ve got some skill.” Red veins began to appear in White Impermanence’s pale eyes.
At the same time, white smoke rose from his entire body. It was the ultimate technique of White Impermanence, which had once struck fear into the martial world.
The White Mist Wave, a toxic technique that could melt skin with the slightest touch, had been unleashed.
“I’ll make you neither dead nor alive!”
***
“Let’s get started,” Bu Eunseol said, raising his black sword to a middle stance.
Gongsun Guryeong responded with a cold smile. “Impressive. At your age…”
Clang!
Bu Eunseol had no intention of listening to his chatter. He thrust his sword, unleashing a flurry of sword techniques. Black light sparked like embers, aiming for Gongsun Guryeong’s neck.
“Hmph.” With a snort, Gongsun Guryeong swiftly executed erratic footwork, evading the black sword’s assault.
Bu Eunseol doubled his energy, twisting the sword’s hilt.
Whoosh!
With a sharp whistle, the black sword moved like a living creature, fluid and agile, once again targeting Gongsun Guryeong’s neck. It was the fourth form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, Caged Bird Yearning for Clouds.
“Ho.” Realizing he couldn’t fully evade the pursuing black sword, Gongsun Guryeong reached for his waist.
Ching! With a clear ring, a grotesque, blue-gleaming blade appeared in his hand.
It was his unique weapon, the Butcher’s Blade.
“So that’s the Butcher’s Blade,” Bu Eunseol said.
Gongsun Guryeong grinned wickedly. “You know it well.”
Originally, the Butcher’s Blade was used to carve the flesh and bones of cattle. But Gongsun Guryeong’s version was designed not for cattle but for human flesh. Its blue blade had drunk the blood of countless victims he had brutally killed while posing as a doctor.
“I’ll carve your flesh painlessly, so surrender your body willingly,” Gongsun Guryeong said, licking his lips as he gazed at Bu Eunseol’s disguised face. “I’d hate to scar that baby-smooth skin!”
Slash slash slash!
Spinning the Butcher’s Blade in his hand, Gongsun Guryeong unleashed his blade techniques. The Bone-Piercing Blade Technique, born from dissecting countless humans, was finally revealed.
Zzt zzt zzt.
Bu Eunseol immediately activated Swift Beyond Shadow, circling Gongsun Guryeong rapidly.
Slash!
But Gongsun Guryeong, refusing to allow Bu Eunseol’s evasion, expanded the range of his Bone-Piercing Blade Technique.
Chik chik chik!
Sharp beams of light spread wide, forming circular arcs that scattered in all directions, erasing Bu Eunseol’s afterimages one by one. The circular arcs emanating from the Butcher’s Blade were blade aura, naturally formed by Gongsun Guryeong’s immense internal energy.
“…” Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed as he dodged the beams with Swift Beyond Shadow.
Until now, aside from his battle with Yo Byeolbom, he had never infused his weapon with energy to create sword aura. The precision of the Supreme Heavenly Flow and the sharpness of his black sword had been enough to defeat countless enemies with ease. But Gongsun Guryeong poured energy into every strike without restraint, as if possessing limitless internal energy, unleashing his full power. This was a unique combat style Bu Eunseol had never encountered before.
Flash!
As Bu Eunseol evaded every attack, Gongsun Guryeong changed tactics again. Instead of targeting Bu Eunseol with his blade aura, he spread it in all directions to seal off his escape routes.
Whoosh!
Having erased Bu Eunseol’s afterimages, Gongsun Guryeong closed in. His sharp Butcher’s Blade aimed for Bu Eunseol’s head, as if splitting firewood.
Slash!
As the razor-sharp attack approached, Bu Eunseol stopped moving, staring intently at the blade. At the moment the blue blade was about to cleave his head—
Clang!
With a metallic clash, sword and blade collided, sending a massive shockwave in all directions. Bu Eunseol, who had stood still, had parried the Butcher’s Blade.
Hiss.
Gongsun Guryeong staggered back five steps, exhaling heavily. Despite possessing enough internal energy to create blade aura, he couldn’t match Bu Eunseol’s overwhelming internal power.
“Heh heh.” Pushed back, Gongsun Guryeong took a deep breath, regulating his inner energy.
He effortlessly dispelled the counterforce from Bu Eunseol’s sword that had been coursing through his wrist’s meridians.
“Your internal energy is something else.” Despite recognizing Bu Eunseol’s immense internal power, Gongsun Guryeong’s confidence didn’t waver.
He had fought countless battles, many against opponents with formidable internal energy. In his experience, victory was never determined by internal energy alone.
“Shall we play again?” Gongsun Guryeong resumed his erratic footwork, rapidly unleashing the Bone-Piercing Blade Technique.
Boom boom boom!
The Bone-Piercing Blade Technique poured forth like a tidal wave, as if dozens of strikes were combined into one.
Flash!
At that moment, the black sword erupted in brilliant light, slicing through the gaps in the blade techniques and thrusting at high speed. Bu Eunseol had spotted the seam between strikes and unleashed Meteor Chasing the Moon, aiming for Gongsun Guryeong’s neck.
Whoosh!
But Meteor Chasing the Moon only narrowly grazed his neck. Gongsun Guryeong had anticipated the swift strike by observing Bu Eunseol’s shoulder movements just before the black sword’s brilliance.
‘He predicted my move by reading my movements.’ Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew heavy as he discerned Gongsun Guryeong’s tactics. Having spent his life dissecting human bodies, Gongsun Guryeong, like Bu Eunseol, could predict an opponent’s actions by observing muscle movements.
Whooosh.
A fierce storm of energy swirled from Bu Eunseol’s left fist, suddenly forming five bolts of lightning.
The second form of the Seven Fist Demon Forms, Extreme Chaos Roar.
With minimal movement, Bu Eunseol unleashed five powerful streams of force toward Gongsun Guryeong’s side.
Flash! Roll!
Judging he couldn’t dodge the force, Gongsun Guryeong threw himself to the ground.
“Your martial arts…” Gongsun Guryeong’s once-confident expression began to harden.
He realized Bu Eunseol’s techniques were not from the righteous factions but were supreme demonic arts of the highest level.
“You’re not some lackey of the Eight Great Families!” Springing to his feet, Gongsun Guryeong—
Slash!
—threw a handful of dirt he had grabbed from the ground toward Bu Eunseol.
“Heh heh heh.” As Bu Eunseol lightly dodged the dirt, Gongsun Guryeong—
“Ptoo!” —spat, a hidden needle concealed in the saliva shooting toward Bu Eunseol’s eyes like a streak of light. True to his nature as a deranged murderer, he had no qualms about rolling on the ground or using dirty tricks.
Whoosh!
As Bu Eunseol effortlessly dodged the hidden weapon, Gongsun Guryeong, now at a distance, grinned sinisterly.
“Demonic or righteous, it doesn’t matter. All I need to do is skin you. Heh heh heh.”
“…” Bu Eunseol paused his attack, looking down at Gongsun Guryeong.
He had fought countless formidable enemies, but none had evaded the Supreme Heavenly Flow and Seven Fist Demon Forms so effortlessly. Moreover, Gongsun Guryeong’s ability to predict moves by reading muscle movements made landing a critical blow difficult.
He was a new type of opponent Bu Eunseol had never faced before.
‘As I thought.’ Bu Eunseol smiled faintly.
Gongsun Guryeong’s true martial arts might be inferior to his own, but his combat skill was a step above. His prowess was comparable to the Flame Soul Corps Leader Bu Eunseol had fought before.
‘To break through to the Transcendent Realm, I see the wall I must overcome.’ Seasoned masters of the martial world possess unique experience and combat strategies that can challenge even superior martial prowess.
In this life-or-death battle with Gongsun Guryeong, Bu Eunseol sought to reaffirm the heights he must reach.
