“It’s them!” Go Ryongpung shouted, pointing at Hyeok Sojin and the second squad members.
“They’re the ones who infiltrated the Blood Vault Cave, stole the Forbidden Demon Pills, and provoked Mount Hua and Zhongnan!”
“What?” Jeon Ilhon snarled, glaring fiercely at Bu Eunseol.
A young man barely past his twenties leading a group to orchestrate such an outrageous scheme?
“That brat?” Jeon Ilhon asked.
“No, the one who infiltrated our sect is that guy beside him. His movement techniques are quite swift…” Go Ryongpung began.
“Kill them,” Jeon Ilhon interrupted curtly, as if annoyed.
Even if these thirty-odd men were talented rising stars, they couldn’t possibly defeat the hundred peak-level masters he’d brought.
Shing.
As the Marauder Sect disciples drew their sabers, Bu Eunseol shouted in a low voice, “Now.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a fiery intensity that stirred the heart.
“It’s time to change the shameful name of the Rootless Brigade.” At that moment, a burning zeal ignited in the brigade members’ eyes.
Before coming here, Bu Eunseol had told them he’d give them a chance to change their name. But he’d said the power to do so lay not with him, but with them.
“If you triumph here, you’ll be called by a new name,” Bu Eunseol said, taking a deep breath and speaking softly. “Erase them.”
Instantly, the brigade members’ eyes blazed like flames.
The Rootless Brigade.
The humiliating name, “a group without roots,” could finally be shed. The hundred peak-level masters in ghost masks radiated a killing intent that filled the forest, suffocating all life.
Yet the Rootless Brigade’s morale didn’t waver.
Forced to suppress their individuality and follow orders, they had been stifled. But Bu Eunseol recognized their uniqueness, teaching them martial techniques and secrets suited to their talents. In a short time, their skills had surged, as if they’d undergone a complete transformation.
Shing!
A sword cry, like the tolling of a death knell, echoed, followed by—
Clang clang clang!
Bu Eunseol charged at the hundred Marauder Sect disciples, unleashing hundreds of light points.
Boom!
Dark energy from his black sword sliced through the air, spreading in all directions. Each swing brought chilling cutting sounds, blood spraying, and limbs flying.
Drip drip.
Blood fell like rain, drenching him. Bu Eunseol, to boost his brigade’s morale, led the charge, displaying overwhelming martial prowess.
“Follow the leader!”
—Raaaah!
The brigade members, with unprecedented fervor, roared and charged after him. An extreme battle, with no certain victor, had begun.
Boom! Slash!
The first squad, led by Won Semun, took the vanguard.
They had mastered a powerful sword technique, disguised as the Marauder Sect’s saber method, taught by Bu Eunseol. A mysterious sword art that delivered immense power without expending much energy…
The members called it the Nameless Sword Technique. It could be used as a saber technique, and Bu Eunseol had taught it without naming it.
Crash!
As the first squad unleashed the Nameless Sword Technique, the Marauder Sect’s formation collapsed instantly.
Simultaneously, the second squad spread out, launching a barrage of precise hidden weapons. Trained in swift movement techniques, they’d learned from Bu Eunseol how to instantly boost their speed, along with internal energy basics and throwing knife skills.
Slash!
Each wave of their arms sent sharp weapons flying, disrupting the Marauder Sect’s ranks.
“Don’t worry, spread out! We’ll clean up the center!” Jo Namcheon, the third squad leader, shouted to the second squad.
The third squad had been taught a sharp sword technique modeled after Zhongnan’s swordsmanship essence.
Swish!
Each thrust spun their blades, emitting sharp energy. Though resembling Zhongnan’s Whirlwind and Drunken Rain Swords, the moves were demonic, composed of lethal killing techniques.
“Argh!” The hundred Marauder Sect disciples displayed superb saber skills but couldn’t withstand the Rootless Brigade’s cohesive assault.
As their formation crumbled, Bu Eunseol seized the chance, swiftly approaching Jeon Ilhon.
Spotting him, Go Ryongpung moved to intercept, shouting boldly, “I’ll handle him!”
“You’re playing with me!” Hyeok Sojin, following Bu Eunseol, blocked Go Ryongpung like lightning.
Crackle!
As Hyeok Sojin extended his hand, dozens of thin, radiant strands shot toward Go Ryongpung with purple lightning.
“Ugh!” Go Ryongpung, wary of the faint glow, dodged urgently.
Whir!
A sharp gust followed as the Blood Silk Rope, unfurled like a thread, sliced off a chunk of his hair. He’d combined the Blood Silk Rope from the Eight Demon Hall with his Divine Rift Demon Energy.
Whir!
Retrieving the rope with a flick of his wrist, Hyeok Sojin grinned. “Your dodging’s like a swift swallow.”
“I’ll kill you first!” Go Ryongpung, enraged, charged at him.
Clank.
Sheathing his black sword, Bu Eunseol faced Jeon Ilhon. “For wreaking havoc in Shaanxi under the demonic banner and defying Majeon’s authority,” he said, his solemn gaze flashing with red bloodlust. “I, Bu Eunseol, disciple of Nangyang Pavilion, will mete out punishment on behalf of the Demon Emperor. Accept it willingly.”
“A disciple of Nangyang Pavilion,” Jeon Ilhon said, a relaxed smile spreading as he learned Bu Eunseol’s identity. “Quite the bold brat.”
Though Bu Eunseol was from Nangyang Pavilion, Jeon Ilhon, a former Top Ten Demonic Master in the Transcendent Realm, found it laughable that a youth barely past his twenties would challenge him alone.
“Let’s end this quickly.”
Shing.
Jeon Ilhon drew his great saber, revealing a blade seemingly forged from layered bones. It was his exclusive weapon, the legendary Ghost Soul Saber, refined through corpse alchemy.
“Die!” As he swung, a foul stench accompanied a sharp gleam aimed at Bu Eunseol’s forehead.
Flash!
Drawing his black sword, Bu Eunseol countered with lightning-fast swordplay, slashing the incoming light.
Whoosh!
But the gleam didn’t dissipate, piercing toward his forehead.
‘…!’ Spinning like lightning, Bu Eunseol narrowly dodged. Without his uncanny reflexes, that single move would’ve left a hole in his forehead. ‘A sword move that can’t be cut.’ The stronger the foe, the more Bu Eunseol’s heart raced. A powerful enemy meant he could grow stronger.
Tch tch tch.
Unleashing Swift Beyond Shadow, he circled Jeon Ilhon rapidly, probing his sword technique.
Whoosh!
A chilling, sharp gleam grazed his spine.
Jeon Ilhon’s Ghost Saber, like Zhongnan’s Cloud Sword, was formless, splitting energy like a scattered sword.
This was his exclusive saber technique, Ghost Soul Saber, not taught to his sect.
Slash!
The saber’s wind grazed Bu Eunseol’s temple.
‘It’s not just the saber technique’s power.’
Despite perfect evasion, the saber’s wind followed like a ghost.
Moreover, each gust carried a foul scent that brushed his nose.
‘Shall I observe once more?’
Bu Eunseol had a habit of analyzing an opponent’s martial arts before striking their weaknesses.
It aided his martial growth but was a perilous approach.
Whoosh.
Another sharp saber wind grazed his spine.
‘No, analysis comes later!’
Allowing such attacks repeatedly could cede momentum, leading to an irreversible situation.
Flash!
Flipping mid-air to dodge a rear strike, Bu Eunseol unleashed Formless Heaven Flow.
Whoosh!
His sword energy exploded like fireworks, enveloping Jeon Ilhon.
Using Meteor Pursuit and Cloud-Weaving Mist simultaneously, he spread sharp sword moves around him.
Pop!
His black sword’s energy grazed Jeon Ilhon, slightly disrupting his stance.
It was a fleeting moment, but Bu Eunseol didn’t miss it.
Chik chik!
Thrusting with full force, thirteen beams of light poured from his sword, seven targeting the upper body, the rest the unsteady lower body.
The seventh move of Formless Heaven Flow, Whirling Annihilation, pierced defenses with countless variations.
“Haa!”
Jeon Ilhon roared, swinging his Ghost Saber.
Boom!
The spinning saber struck Bu Eunseol’s sword energy repeatedly.
But the thirteen beams transformed into ninety-nine sword moves, enveloping Jeon Ilhon.
Sway!
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol’s movements slowed subtly.
Pop!
Seizing the chance, Jeon Ilhon used his movement technique to escape Whirling Annihilation’s reach.
“…”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes grew cold.
He’d aimed to injure, if not critically, but Jeon Ilhon had evaded so easily?
Then, the foul scent hit his nose again.
‘I see.’
He realized the Ghost Saber was laced with paralyzing poison.
Having reached the fifth level of the Ban-geuk Method, his veins overflowed with Ban-geuk Energy, nullifying poisoning symptoms, but it slightly slowed his reflexes.
‘Ignoring most poisons delayed my detection.’
Whoosh.
A strange gleam flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as his veins expanded.
Internal energy reflected the mind’s will.
Sensing faint poisoning, his Ban-geuk Method reacted, burning away the toxin.
‘That guy?’ Jeon Ilhon thought, stunned as Bu Eunseol purged the poison mid-battle.
‘His internal energy is extraordinary.’
But that was all.
In a life-or-death fight, victory wasn’t decided by internal energy alone.
He’d faced countless foes with superior energy and triumphed.
“Take this!”
As the Ghost Saber blurred, so did Jeon Ilhon’s body.
Recognizing Bu Eunseol’s superior energy, he aimed to overpower him with saber technique finesse.
Zing zing.
As Ghost Soul Saber unleashed fully, both saber and body vanished and reappeared like mist.
Ghost Soul Saber, the technique that made him a Top Ten Demonic Master, was elusive, striking unpredictably, preventing Bu Eunseol from using his sword control.
Boom boom boom!
The storm-like Ghost Saber left countless shadows, pressuring Bu Eunseol like a relentless ghost.
Pop! Slash!
As time passed, Bu Eunseol became drenched in blood.
Could old habits die hard?
Despite the dire situation, he didn’t counter with Formless Heaven Flow, instead observing Jeon Ilhon’s saber technique defensively.
Slash! Pop!
Each graze of the Ghost Saber drew blood.
“Ha ha ha! I see your death!” Jeon Ilhon taunted, his saber’s light enveloping Bu Eunseol.
Even Swift Beyond Shadow couldn’t fully evade this eerie saber technique. At this rate, only defeat awaited.
‘Afterimage, sound, saber technique…’ Yet Bu Eunseol’s mind was serene.
Empty Heart Transcendence.
He wasn’t just observing but fully engaging his beast-like extreme senses. Time seemed frozen as he traced the Ghost Soul Saber’s trajectory, focusing on fleeting insights.
‘No need to fixate on invisible saber moves.’ Jeon Ilhon’s Ghost Soul Saber surpassed scattered swords, truly a ghostly blade, unpredictable and matchless.
But facing this supreme technique, Bu Eunseol questioned.
Why seek the Ghost Saber’s invisible path when its destination was his vital points?
Slash!
The Ghost Saber deeply cut his left forearm. In a fierce battle, such a wound was tantamount to defeat.
“All that bravado for this level of skill?” Jeon Ilhon sneered triumphantly. “Die now.”
As he prepared a final strike—
‘I see.’ Bu Eunseol’s eyes blazed with brilliant light, having grasped the key to shattering Ghost Soul Saber.
His Ban-geuk Energy spread outward, following his mind.
Roar!
A vibration like a mythical beast’s roar echoed. Bu Eunseol’s body glowed, his energy’s haze visible.
Zing!
His black sword responded, hundreds of light strands forming distinct shapes.
Wishful True Binding.
A new martial secret from the second level of the Myriad Demon Scripture Vault, unleashed in this extreme battle.
