Yeop Hyocheon grasped the inner thoughts of the Heavenly Sword and gave a calm smile.
‘He’s worried I might actually agree to a truce.’
He could see right through the Heavenly Sword’s mind. The reason Yeop Hyocheon had come here wasn’t for a truce but to provoke Bu Eunseol.
“Unfortunately, this sect leader is not one of the Ten Demon Warriors,” Yeop Hyocheon said.
“…”
“Such matters are best settled between the parties involved.” Rising from his seat, Yeop Hyocheon extended his hand as he spoke. “You must know that the leader of the Ten Demon Warriors is the heir to this sect… So, go meet the Lord of the Martial Soul Command.”
“Very well,” the Heavenly Sword replied.
“Then I’ll summon him.”
“No need for that. I’ll head to the Suppressed Demon Pavilion myself.”
Yeop Hyocheon stared at the Heavenly Sword’s smirking face for a moment before nodding.
“Do as you wish.”
***
Inside the guest hall of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
Two steaming teacups sat on the table.
Bu Eunseol and the Heavenly Sword were seated across from each other.
Around the hall stood five figures exuding a murderous aura: Myo Cheonwoo, Yoo Unryong, Wi Cheonkyeong, Won Semun, and Jo Namcheon.
They had already been informed by Yoo Unryong and knew that the Heavenly Sword was the enemy who had killed Bu Eunseol’s dear friend. Yet, for him to walk into this lion’s den alone with a smile? Their only desire was to draw their weapons and strike him down on the spot.
“It’s been a while,” the Heavenly Sword said, greeting Bu Eunseol with a smile.
He looked as though he were joyfully reuniting with an old friend. But his eyes flickered with murderous intent and madness, making him seem even more menacing than if he were wielding a sword.
“…” Bu Eunseol merely stared at him with cold eyes, unmoved.
“As an envoy of the Martial Alliance, is there really a need to be so hostile?” the Heavenly Sword asked.
Finally, Bu Eunseol broke his silence. “Were you scared? Afraid that without the Martial Alliance’s backing, you’d be cut down where you stood?”
“Ha ha ha, not at all. I just…” the Heavenly Sword’s eyes gleamed with a stark, white madness as he chuckled. “I wanted to see your angry face. Ha ha ha ha!”
Suddenly, the Heavenly Sword let out a hearty laugh.
“Killing villains weaker than me has grown tiresome. But the way you looked when you got mad last time? That was exhilarating.” As if excited by his own words, the Heavenly Sword’s breathing grew heavy. “You must want to tear me apart right now, don’t you? But you can’t, because doing so would jeopardize your position as the heir to Majeon, right?”
The Heavenly Sword’s expression was like that of a naughty child reveling in breaking a toy.
—This guy’s completely insane, isn’t he?
The lieutenants in the hall exchanged bewildered looks.
For someone who held the title of the Martial Alliance’s chief swordsman to be goading the Lord of the Martial Soul like this?
“My lord, are we just going to let this madman be?” Won Semun, unable to hold back, glared with fiery eyes and gripped the twin swords on his back. “I’ll kill him and bury him. If the Martial Alliance demands accountability, I’ll offer my own head.”
Though reckless, Won Semun was no fool.
As Bu Eunseol’s subordinate, he was cleverly blunting the Heavenly Sword’s provocations.
“That’s not a bad idea,” the Heavenly Sword replied, completely unfazed. Instead, he goaded Bu Eunseol further with a voice laced with strange fervor. “Go ahead, do it without hesitation. Give the order, and hundreds of masters will tear me to pieces.”
Bu Eunseol nodded calmly. “That doesn’t sound bad at all.”
“Ha ha ha. I knew it the moment I saw you. You’re the same kind as me,” the Heavenly Sword said, his eyes gleaming. “You’re wearing clothes that don’t fit you, sitting in a position you don’t even want. That’s why you can’t act freely.”
“Quite a creative insult. Did you rehearse it on the way here?” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Ha ha ha. You can deny it, but deep down, you know it’s true.” the Heavenly Sword, still smiling, whispered, “Rip those clothes off right now. And swing your sword at me like a madman.”
His bloodshot eyes gleamed as he panted, “That’s the version of you that suits you best.”
Bu Eunseol looked at the prattling the Heavenly Sword and yawned. “Did you come all this way just to spew this nonsense?”
“You must have heard the whole story by now, haven’t you?”
“You mean that trivial tale?” Bu Eunseol stared into the Heavenly Sword’s eyes with a look of contempt. “If you’ve got nothing else to say, get lost. I may not be able to kill you right now, but I can certainly drive you out like a dog.”
“Ha ha ha ha!” the Heavenly Sword laughed, delighted to see Bu Eunseol show emotion. “That’s it! That murderous look is what I love the most. Yes, I like it, I really like it.”
the Heavenly Sword stood up briskly.
“Well, I suppose the truce between the Great Righteous Masters and the Ten Demon Warriors is off.” He leaned in close to Bu Eunseol, who remained seated.
—Clang!
The lieutenants in the hall drew their weapons in unison.
But the Heavenly Sword paid them no mind and whispered to Bu Eunseol in a low voice. “By the way, I’m now the chief swordsman of the Martial Alliance’s first division. How exactly do you plan to kill me? As the heir to Majeon, you can’t touch me, can you?”
He leaned even closer and continued, “Let me make you a proposal.”
“…”
“Throw away that heir position right now. Then I’ll cast aside my title as chief swordsman, and we’ll fight.” The Heavenly Sword’s reason for coming to Majeon as a chief swordsman was to goad Bu Eunseol into abandoning his position as heir and fighting him.
“Think it over carefully,” the Heavenly Sword said with a sly grin. “For lunatics like us, those stuffy titles don’t suit us.”
With that, he turned and strode out of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion without hesitation.
“That guy’s a total nutcase, isn’t he?” Myo Cheonwoo muttered, cursing as he watched the Heavenly Sword’s retreating figure. “Asking you to step down from the heir position just to kill him? What nonsense!”
At that moment, Yoo Unryong stepped forward with a serious expression.
“You’re not actually going to do it, are you?” Bu Eunseol had no desire for power or fame and didn’t care about the heir position.
Yoo Unryong was worried that Bu Eunseol might abandon it without hesitation for the sake of revenge.
“Ha ha ha.” Bu Eunseol stood up, letting out a low chuckle. “Ha ha ha ha!”
His smile was as innocent as a child’s, but his eyes gleamed with a profound light and a radiant madness that seemed to tear the heavens apart.
When it came to madness, Bu Eunseol was no less formidable. Wasn’t it said that, unable to settle on a title among the Seven Kings of Death, the people had coined the name “Mad Sword” for him?
“Don’t worry,” Bu Eunseol said, wiping the smile from his face and curling his lips upward. “I’m not going to do something that stupid.”
The lieutenants let out a collective sigh of relief.
They, too, no longer cared about ranks or status. But if Bu Eunseol returned to being a mercenary, they feared he might abandon them and leave freely.
“Yoo Unryong,” Bu Eunseol said with a calm expression. “There’s no need to track his movements anymore.”
“What?”
Yoo Unryong looked slightly surprised. Could Bu Eunseol be giving up on avenging Yeongmunho for their sake?
“Instead, consult with the Chief of the Nine Deaths Squad and observe and record his every move. Every single detail.”
“Observe? That lunatic?”
“Yes. Take your time and do it thoroughly,” Bu Eunseol continued. “So we can predict his future actions. His personality, his habits, his methods of handling things… Gather every piece of information you can.”
“What exactly are you planning?” Yoo Unryong asked.
Bu Eunseol gave a cold smile. “If he’s become untouchable because of his status… then we’ll just have to make him touchable again.”
“You mean…” A bloodthirsty glint appeared in Bu Eunseol’s eyes. “I’ll obliterate him. Along with the honor and status he holds.”
He spoke in a grand yet heavy voice.
“And I’ll expose his true nature to the world, making everyone despise him.” At that moment, Yoo Unryong and the others in the room swallowed hard, as if in unison.
Bu Eunseol, now back to his cold demeanor, smiled faintly and said, “And then, when I kill him, there’ll be no consequences.”
Bu Eunseol had just declared his intent to destroy the Heavenly Sword, the chief swordsman of the Martial Alliance and disciple of the Sword Master, by first ruining his reputation.
—That lunatic picked the wrong opponent.
The same thought crossed the minds of the lieutenants.
If the Heavenly Sword was a madman consumed by insanity…
Bu Eunseol was a madman consumed by insanity, but with a brilliant mind to match.
“There’s no need to rush. Gather the information slowly and meticulously,” Bu Eunseol said, glancing at the gathered lieutenants before slowly turning away. “That’s the only way we can bring him down.”
With that, he left the guest hall.
Killing a person is easy. You just need to thrust a sword.
But destroying a person’s honor is far harder. It requires weaving a meticulous and inescapable scheme, beyond the reach of manpower or wealth.
Slowly. But perfectly.
Bu Eunseol had begun his plan to kill the Heavenly Sword.
***
A few days later.
Bu Eunseol quietly left Majeon.
His plan to kill the Heavenly Sword was already perfectly laid out.
Now, he needed to develop the martial skills necessary to strike him down flawlessly. Bu Eunseol sought to reach a state of emptiness by completely forgetting the two great methods, aiming to transcend both and attain a new realm.
But there was one problem.
Bu Eunseol’s foundation lay in the martial arts of Nangyang.
In other words, he had honed his skills through extreme real-world combat. There were limits to developing a new realm through mental study alone.
‘There’s only one way.’ Bu Eunseol had always advanced his martial arts by fighting opponents stronger than himself.
And now, to surpass his limits and mend the cracks in his spirit, he intended to engage in a life-or-death battle with a superior opponent.
‘I must fight someone who surpasses me.’
His original destination was Nangyang.
While he might not match the sect leader Dan Cheong, he could have a good fight with the great master So Jeon.
But as he neared Iron Staff Mountain, he realized this was a mistake.
—I can’t break through my limits by fighting the masters of my own sect.
The masters of Nangyang used the same fighting style and techniques as Bu Eunseol, and more importantly, they cared for him deeply. No matter how much they simulated real combat, he could never engage in a truly life-or-death battle with Nangyang’s warriors.
‘Is there no other way?’ The martial world was full of masters, but few could rival Bu Eunseol.
Moreover, given his status, he couldn’t simply challenge masters at random. Challenging righteous faction members recklessly could lead to complicated issues.
As Bu Eunseol paused his ascent to Iron Staff Mountain, hesitating for a moment,
Rumble! Swoosh!
Dark clouds suddenly gathered, and rain began to fall. With no choice, Bu Eunseol took shelter under a large tree.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck the tree, splitting it in two in an instant. Seeing the lightning cleave the giant tree, a person came to Bu Eunseol’s mind.
Someone stronger than him, capable of shattering a mountain with a single strike as swift as lightning.
A master who could wield terrifying power.
‘He would do.’ Bu Eunseol nodded.
He had finally found a master stronger than himself, someone he could challenge without issue in an extreme battle.
The Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
He had only revealed his skills twice: once when he mistook Bu Eunseol for a lecher, and again when he broke through Martial Emperor’s Vault with a few moves of his Inner Bullet Technique. But Bu Eunseol knew how extraordinary Bukgung Ryeong’s true strength was and how versatile his Inner Bullet Technique could be.
‘I’ve imitated his Inner Bullet Technique several times.’
Each time Bu Eunseol mimicked it, he realized just how exceptional Bukgung Ryeong’s martial arts were and how immense the power of his Inner Bullet Technique was.
‘He won’t avoid a fight.’ Though they had nearly become sworn enemies, their parting at Martial Emperor’s Vault had been amicable.
Bukgung Ryeong wouldn’t shy away from a challenge and wouldn’t hold back.
With a flash, Bu Eunseol returned to Seongdo and sought out the branch of the Nine Deaths. The Bullet King roamed the martial world alone, pursuing a mysterious force. Thus, his whereabouts were the hardest to track among the Seven Kings of Death, and no one could predict his movements.
‘The Beggar Sect’s intelligence network will do.’ Bu Eunseol knew that Bukgung Ryeong didn’t maintain his own faction or intelligence organization but used the Beggar Sect’s network to conceal his tracks.
‘I’ll need to issue a Gapho mission.’
The Gapho mission of the Nine Deaths.
It was a task assigned only to the finest agents of the Nine Deaths across the Central Plains, with an enormous reward for success. Didn’t they say money could summon even ghosts?
The Gapho missions of the Nine Deaths had resolved tasks deemed impossible time and again.
‘It’s not that difficult, so this should suffice.’ Bu Eunseol immediately issued a Gapho mission through the Nine Deaths branch.
The reward was a staggering 150,000 taels.
Tracking the Beggar Sect’s intelligence network wasn’t particularly hard, so 50,000 taels would have been enough. But to find the Bullet King as quickly as possible, Bu Eunseol tripled the reward.
The power of the Gapho mission and money was immense.
In less than half a month, Bu Eunseol received a response from the Hwado branch of the Nine Deaths Squad.
The Bullet King was near Jangdeok Mountain in Hwado. Bu Eunseol immediately left Majeon for Hwado. Upon entering Seongdo, he sought out a teahouse in the bustling district.
“Is anyone here?” he called.
Typically, the Nine Deaths’ secret branches were located in shops or estates slightly removed from busy areas. But the Hwado branch was cleverly hidden in a teahouse in the heart of the bustling district, unnoticed by most.
“Welcome!” a waiter wearing an apron greeted, guiding him to a window seat with a good view.
The teahouse was clean and elegant, but there wasn’t a single customer.
This was because Hwado had many small inns serving fine liquor, so few sought out a teahouse.
“One cup of Seoho Dragon Well,” Bu Eunseol ordered, requesting the most expensive tea.
The waiter bowed deeply, almost as if kowtowing.
“I’ll bring the tea right away.” As promised, the tea arrived quickly.
Bu Eunseol sipped it while gazing out the window, then left the teahouse.
“Hwado Branch Leader, Hoyeon,” a low voice whispered in his ear as he walked through the streets.
It was a transmission from a middle-aged man in a scholar’s robe walking ahead.
“My apologies for making you come so far. The Bullet King has been concealing his tracks, so our agents could only track him in real-time.”
“It’s fine. Lead the way.” Hoyeon, the middle-aged scholar and Hwado Branch Leader, swiftly left Seongdo, heading toward Jangdeok Mountain with rapid movement techniques.
Whoosh.
As he sped forward, Hoyeon occasionally paused to check markers or code words on trees. The traces were fresh, likely left by agents still tracking the Bullet King in the field.
Clang! Clang!
After about an hour of travel, they reached a deep forest, where the faint sound of clashing weapons reached their ears.
Boom!
Despite the clear sky, intermittent thunderclaps echoed. Bu Eunseol immediately recognized the sound as the Bullet King unleashing his Inner Bullet Technique.
“It’s the Bullet King. You don’t need to follow any further.”
“Understood. Take care, my lord.” Receiving Bu Eunseol’s transmission, Hoyeon quickly turned back toward the branch. He knew that staying near a master like the Bullet King was risking his life, no matter how many he had.
Swoosh.
Unleashing his Swift Beyond Shadow, Bu Eunseol shot toward the source of the sound.
In a wide clearing, he saw an elderly man surrounded by over twenty masked figures. Though slightly gaunt, the man had an imposing presence, his eyes brimming with vitality and his appearance as refined as an immortal.
It was indeed the Bullet King, Bukgung Ryeong.
Swish!
As Bukgung Ryeong inhaled, pebbles on the ground floated into the air. The levitating stones spun in a circular pattern before shooting out one by one.
Boom!
Each pebble tore through the air, producing a deafening explosion as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, revealing the immense power packed into them.
Yet the masked figures moved with incredible agility and peculiar techniques. Even before the stones reached them, they seemed to glide away, pushed by the wind generated by the attack.
‘Floating Shadow Form?’ From atop a giant tree ten paces away, a glint flashed in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he observed the fight.
The masked figures could float or move with the slightest breeze.
They were using the Floating Shadow Form, the supreme movement technique of the demonic path.
