Bu Eunseol didn’t take a carriage but instead used his qinggong to swiftly leave Nanzhou.
Though he turned away calmly, his heart felt a slight emptiness.
Hyeok Sojin had been his companion, a loyal subordinate, and like a disciple who had inherited his martial spirit. He longed to roam the martial world with him for a lifetime, but Hyeok Sojin was the next Sect Leader of Heaven and Earth Severing Sect.
He had the responsibility to care for the aging demonic masters and to study and develop the numerous demonic martial arts gained there.
‘I lingered longer than expected.’ The unexpected appearance of Yu Hyeoksim.
And above all, he had to confirm whether the Azure Flower he possessed could truly cure Hyeok Gongbaek’s illness.
If it hadn’t worked? He would have had to storm the Hell’s Blood Fortress to retrieve it.
‘I owe her a debt.’ Bu Eunseol looked at the now-transparent jade necklace and gave a wry smile.
After creating the Crimson Jade Divine Water, the spiritual energy in the Azure Flower was completely drained, leaving it transparent.
It had become a worthless stone.
‘I must repay it.’ Back then, Dan So-ok had lent him the necklace. Now that he had used up its power, he had to repay that debt.
‘It’s a bit troubling.’ Bu Eunseol gave another wry smile.
Having used a priceless treasure like the Azure Flower, the question of how to repay it was a problem. Moreover, thinking of Dan So-ok’s affectionate eyes made his heart feel heavy.
What she wanted was likely not money or material things.
‘I’ll deal with it later.’ As his mind grew cluttered, Bu Eunseol increased his inner energy to leap forward, but at that moment—
—Ah!
A faint scream brushed past his ears.
It was so subtle that only someone with Bu Eunseol’s beast-like instincts, honed by the Beast Way, could have detected it.
‘A hundred paces away, a woman’s brief scream, her mouth covered.’
Bu Eunseol gazed toward the deep forest in the distance. A woman’s scream echoing in a remote mountain where few people ventured. He didn’t need to see it to know what was happening.
‘They’ve abducted a woman.’ Bu Eunseol’s eyes darkened.
—This isn’t your business!
He recalled the solemn yet somber gaze of Bu Zhanyang, examining a corpse in the past. The most gruesome sight during a burial was the body of a woman violated and murdered.
Traces of brutal violence.
The marks of pain and suffering were vividly etched across their bodies due to the vile acts committed for pleasure.
Even Bu Zhanyang, who had buried countless gruesome corpses with Bu Eunseol, never allowed him to see the bodies of violated women.
Whoosh!
Bu Eunseol, slicing through the air, swiftly changed direction and entered the forest where the scream had come from.
Boom!
Soaring into the air, he produced a powerful sonic boom. Making such a loud noise could at least delay the crime being committed.
Swish!
Entering the depths of the forest, he found a small pond, and in front of it, a filthy-looking man was entangled with a woman whose clothes were torn. The scream moments ago seemed to have come from the woman pinned beneath him.
“Who’s there?!” the man shouted, his eyes bloodshot, only now hearing the sonic boom as he grabbed his discarded clothes.
“You…” he began.
“Put some clothes on. You’re filthy,” Bu Eunseol said, descending like a deity from the heavens, his eyes glinting with an unprecedented chilling intent.
If gazes could hold power, the man’s neck would already have been severed by Bu Eunseol’s stare.
“Unless you want to die naked.”
The man hurriedly dressed and drew a sharp blade from his waist. “Stay out of this and get lost!”
He unleashed a vicious killing technique toward Bu Eunseol.
Slash!
Five strands of sharp blade energy poured out like a net, swiftly enveloping Bu Eunseol’s body. The man’s blade techniques were not only precise but also immensely powerful, far surpassing the level of a peak master.
“The Blood Slaughter Blade Technique of the Black Veil Sect,” Bu Eunseol said, instantly recognizing the filthy man’s technique as the supreme blade art of the Black Veil Sect. “If you’re a villain of the unorthodox path, there’s nothing more to say.”
Hum!
As he looked at the incoming blade energy, a faint light shimmered in Bu Eunseol’s left fist.
Boom.
A vibration shook the entire forest.
Simultaneously, the net-like blade energy vanished in an instant… And the filthy man who had unleashed it disappeared completely.
Flutter.
Birds took flight from a tree thirty paces away, and leaves fell in a cascade.
Using the Fist Demon Manifestation, Bu Eunseol had sent the man’s body flying thirty paces, where it exploded.
Drip, drip.
Around the giant tree, red fragments and bodily fluids were scattered in all directions. The man’s body, struck by the Fist Demon Manifestation, had burst apart like an explosion.
Tremble.
The woman, clutching her torn clothes, shivered as she looked at Bu Eunseol.
Perhaps because he had used his inner energy in a state of rage, Bu Eunseol’s eyes were filled with a blood-red glint, and red specks of light emanated from his entire body.
To an ordinary civilian, he no longer looked human but like a death god descended to the mortal world.
“Ah, ah…” The woman’s eyes were filled with fear, her lips trembling blue.
“Don’t worry,” Bu Eunseol said, calming her as he slowly removed his outer robe.
He intended to cover her exposed body, as her clothes were torn.
But at that moment—
Time seemed to freeze, and the world fell silent.
His mind raced dozens of times faster, his razor-sharp senses splitting the fleeting moment into fragments.
Swish!
He detected a small object hurtling toward him at incredible speed. As if unbound by time and space, it aimed for the space between his brows.
Slash!
Bu Eunseol quickly twisted his body.
Boom!
An explosion rang out as the massive boulder behind him was struck with a deafening blast.
“Well! You dodged that?” an enraged voice echoed around.
A small figure slowly descended to the ground.
It was an elderly man in white robes, with deep-set eyes and a prominent nose, exuding a refined air. Though his body was frail and wrinkled, his face suggested he had been quite handsome in his youth.
“Hm,” the old man said, looking Bu Eunseol up and down, letting out a deep sigh. “With such looks, you could have any woman you wanted. What’s lacking that you’d commit such debauchery?”
Bu Eunseol frowned.
The old man was mistakenly assuming he was the one assaulting the woman.
“It wasn’t me,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Hah! Not you? Then who did it?” the old man retorted, hastily branding Bu Eunseol as the culprit without considering the context.
“…” Bu Eunseol furrowed his brow.
He found it tedious to even point out the man’s shattered corpse scattered thirty paces away.
“Must be blind,” he said, criticizing the old man for failing to assess the situation calmly.
But the old man in white mistook it for the common martial world taunt—
—You have eyes but can’t see people clearly.
Thinking Bu Eunseol was mocking him, his expression changed drastically.
“Judging by your martial arts and looks, you’re no ordinary man…” he said, then shouted with a solemn expression, “Even if you’re a prince or a noble, it doesn’t matter. If you’ve committed evil, you must be punished!”
A fierce aura of killing intent radiated from the old man’s body.
At this point, even the most arrogant person would have explained the misunderstanding. But Bu Eunseol despised those who used their martial prowess to oppress or intimidate others.
Knowing the old man’s aura was immense enough to swallow the heavens and earth, he still smirked coldly. “Now I see you’re not only blind but deaf too.”
“You madman! Do you know who I am?” the old man demanded.
“Don’t care,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Hahaha!” The old man laughed uproariously, pointing a bony finger at Bu Eunseol. “You’ve got some guts.”
At the same time, indescribable waves of powerful energy began to gather at the old man’s fingertip. Bu Eunseol’s eyes widened as he finally realized the old man’s identity.
“The Bullet King…”
The Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
One of the Seven Kings of Death, a supreme master of the Supreme Heaven Realm, capable of freely wielding internal bullet energy with immense inner power.
He could make a single leaf strike with the force of a cannonball…
And, if he chose, could shatter an iron house with a single blow.
A peerless grandmaster of the righteous path stood before him.
“That’s right. I am Bukgung Ryeong,” the old man said, his lips curling into a smile as Bu Eunseol recognized him. “When you reach the underworld, tell the King of Hell who sent you.”
Bukgung Ryeong took a short breath, and a small pebble on the ground floated into the air.
With a light flick of his finger, charged with intense energy—
Boom!
A bolt of lightning seemed to pierce Bu Eunseol—or so it appeared.
Hiss.
Using Swift Beyond Shadow, Bu Eunseol’s body became a faint shadow, shifting to the left.
Slash!
The pebble grazed his cheek.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, it struck the massive boulder behind him.
Rumble.
The boulder’s surface cracked, and the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
‘This level of power…’ Bu Eunseol couldn’t hide his astonishment.
To shake the mountains and forests with a single pebble? His reputation as the Bullet King was well-earned.
“Well, you dodged that too?” Bukgung Ryeong said, equally shocked that Bu Eunseol had evaded his strike.
He sensed that Bu Eunseol’s movements had faintly surpassed the peerless realm.
“A villain who’s diligently trained his martial arts,” Bukgung Ryeong said, clicking his tongue as he realized Bu Eunseol’s prowess was extraordinary. “What a pity. With such looks and exceptional martial arts, to become a depraved villain…”
His repeated use of “villain” sharpened Bu Eunseol’s gaze.
“You’re no nameless nobody. What’s your name?” Bukgung Ryeong demanded.
Bu Eunseol knew he absolutely couldn’t reveal his identity.
Bukgung Ryeong was the closest friend of the Beggar King, Gu Hongcheong. But Bu Eunseol knew no fear, nor was he one to hide his identity to beg for his life.
“Bu Eunseol, disciple of the Nangyang Pavilion,” he declared.
“Nangyang Pavilion… Bu Eunseol?” Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes widened after a moment of thought. “You’re the young punk who killed Gu Hongcheong, that old man?”
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol confirmed.
Boom!
At that moment, a storm of energy erupted from Bukgung Ryeong’s body.
“So it’s you!” he roared, his eyes overflowing with killing intent.
His dearest friend of decades had been slain by the demonic fiend before him.
Having recently returned to the martial world, he hadn’t heard the latest rumors. Thus, he still believed Bu Eunseol had assassinated the Beggar King through cowardly means.
“Are you ready?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“Let’s fight later,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Don’t make me laugh. You’re not escaping,” Bukgung Ryeong said.
“What a perverse villain,” Bu Eunseol retorted.
“What? Villain?” Bukgung Ryeong echoed.
“Or do you get a thrill every time you make others tremble in fear?” Bu Eunseol snapped irritably, draping his robe over the trembling woman. “Because of your constant provocations, she’s been shaking in fear this whole time.”
Bukgung Ryeong’s eyes wavered.
Bu Eunseol’s gaze was filled with righteousness, and the woman’s eyes showed no hostility or fear toward him.
‘Damn. I made a mistake.’ Only then did he realize Bu Eunseol wasn’t assaulting the woman but saving her.
But that was separate from his issue with Gu Hongcheong.
He could never let a demonic fiend who had treacherously ambushed his friend live.
“Hmph, even if you’re not a villain, it doesn’t matter. I’ve already decided to kill you,” Bukgung Ryeong said.
“As expected,” Bu Eunseol replied, pointing to the still-trembling woman. “Take her to a nearby village.”
“Trying a cheap trick? Why should I do that?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“Because the martial world is full of blind and deaf people like you,” Bu Eunseol said with a cold laugh. “If I carry her to the village, I’ll be attacked again by people as blind and deaf as you.”
Bukgung Ryeong’s face flushed.
Bu Eunseol was mocking his rashness in failing to assess the situation calmly.
“Fine. I’ll be back in a flash, so don’t you dare run,” Bukgung Ryeong said confidently, picking up the woman. “Even if you try, you can’t escape my pursuit.”
Whoosh!
He sped off with the woman at incredible speed.
“Phew,” Bu Eunseol exhaled deeply, wiping his sweat as Bukgung Ryeong left.
Though he maintained a calm expression, he had been extremely tense.
Bukgung Ryeong was on a different level from the Beggar King, Gu Hongcheong. Having reached the Supreme Heaven Realm long ago, his skill was among the top of the Seven Kings of Death.
If they fought now, it would be a certain defeat.
There was no room for luck.
“The Bullet King…” Bu Eunseol muttered, his eyes unwavering.
He had never fought with guaranteed victory. He had always found a way out, even in the face of death. Even if he had to battle the Bullet King, he believed there would be a path.
Crack.
A shattering sound came from behind him.
Turning, he saw black cracks spreading like a spiderweb across the massive boulder. Struck twice by Bukgung Ryeong’s pebbles, the boulder’s surface was breaking, causing fissures.
Thud, thud. Rumble.
Finally, fragments of the boulder cascaded down like a waterfall, kicking up clouds of dust.
As the dust settled, a faint light shone near the boulder. Sensing something unusual, Bu Eunseol approached the shattered rock.
“What’s this?”
Inside the broken boulder, a smooth iron door was revealed.
Boom!
Striking the boulder again, Bu Eunseol shattered its outer layer, fully exposing the door.
Martial Emperor.
Only two words were engraved on the iron door: “Martial Emperor.”
