Thwack! Boom!
The stones hurled by the Bullet King shot forth so swiftly they were invisible to the naked eye.
Yet the masked figures, employing the Floating Shadow Form, glided effortlessly to the left and right, carried by the wind generated by the stones’ trajectory.
No matter how formidable the Inner Bullet Technique was, it was useless if it didn’t hit its target. The masked figures were neutralizing the Bullet King’s ultimate technique with the unique method of the Floating Shadow Form.
“It seems you’ve studied quite a bit to evade my Inner Bullet Technique,” Bukgung Ryeong said, letting out a hearty laugh before closing the distance with lightning-fast movement.
“But it’s merely a cheap trick.”
As he closed in instantly, the masked figures were once again pushed back by the Floating Shadow Form. But in that moment, Bukgung Ryeong curled his five fingers, unleashing a barrage of stones into the air.
Thwack! Thwack!
The stones arced gently in a parabola, flying behind the masked figures.
“…!” Their eyes widened in shock.
The stones Bukgung Ryeong had launched behind them forced them to be pushed forward instead.
“Die,” he declared.
A fierce vortex of power swirled around his five fingers. At such close range, if he unleashed his Inner Bullet Technique, the masked figures would have no chance of evasion.
“Stop!” Bu Eunseol shouted from afar, where he had been observing. “They’re planning to self-destruct at close range!”
“Self-destruct?” Bukgung Ryeong said, startled but quickly grasping the situation, and he unleashed his Inner Bullet Technique.
Thwack! Thwack!
This time, the technique wasn’t powerful enough to shatter bodies but was soft and wide-ranging, pushing the masked figures dozens of paces away.
Boom!
The moment they were flung back, a deafening explosion shook the heavens and earth, and the masked figures’ bodies scattered in all directions.
Whoosh.
Trees and rocks within the blast radius melted like taffy.
“It was true,” Bukgung Ryeong said, unable to hide his astonishment.
To think they used the Floating Shadow Form to feign evasion, luring him into close combat to trigger a self-destruction? The masked figures’ strategy was so meticulous that even Bukgung Ryeong, seasoned in countless battles, couldn’t have anticipated it.
“Killing me was so desperate an act that they used their own bodies as bait?” Bukgung Ryeong muttered.
Before his words could fully settle,
Swish!
The remaining masked figures regrouped, encircling him once more.
Five had perished in the explosion.
The remaining fifteen showed no fear, eagerly awaiting their chance to die explosively alongside him.
“Are you just going to stand there and watch?” Bukgung Ryeong snapped irritably.
Dealing with them wasn’t difficult. But Bu Eunseol, perched atop a tree with a blank expression, watching the fight unfold, was utterly infuriating.
“You can handle it on your own, can’t you?” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Hmph.” Snorting at Bu Eunseol’s response, Bukgung Ryeong lightly opened his right hand.
Whoosh!
A brilliant light emanated from his hand, and it seemed as if all the surrounding air was being sucked into his palm.
Float.
Simultaneously, the bodies of five masked figures at the forefront lifted into the air.
Pop!
With a flick of his fingers, the air tore apart, and the masked figures were hurled back at tremendous speed.
Splat!
They collided with the masked figures behind them, blood spraying everywhere.
Bukgung Ryeong had lifted their bodies like pebbles and thrown them.
Pop! Splat!
After hurling and detonating the bodies five or six times, the thirty or so assassins charging at him were completely dispatched.
“Phew.” Bukgung Ryeong wiped the sweat from his brow.
Even for someone called the Bullet King, using human bodies as projectiles was an exhausting technique.
“Impressive,” Bu Eunseol said, leaping down from the tree.
Bukgung Ryeong furrowed his brow. “What brings you here?”
“Just passing by,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Hmph, you expect me to believe that?” Though the Beggar King Gu Hongcheong was dead, Bukgung Ryeong still maintained good relations with the Beggar Sect, providing them with substantial funds.
As the Lone Wanderer of the Martial World, he always traveled alone, using the Beggar Sect’s intelligence network to obscure his movements. The odds of encountering Bu Eunseol by chance in this remote mountain were practically zero.
“Have you changed your mind?” Bukgung Ryeong asked, his expression slightly hopeful.
He thought Bu Eunseol might be roaming the martial world, tracking the masked figures’ forces like he was.
“No way,” Bu Eunseol said.
“Then how did you know their tactics in advance?”
Bu Eunseol’s face grew bitter. “I was once attacked by assassins from Sahyang. They used similar tactics.”
“Sahyang?”
“Something like that.” Brushing it off, Bu Eunseol asked, “Are you no longer the hunter but the hunted now?”
It was more of a friendly jest.
No matter how solitary, he was the Bullet King—a figure no faction could easily challenge. But Bukgung Ryeong gazed at the distant sky with a forlorn expression.
“Not yet… but there’s no guarantee it won’t happen in the future.” He had roamed the martial world alone, pursuing the shadowy forces lurking behind the scenes.
But their roots ran deep. If things continued, he might one day become the hunted, just as the Martial Emperor had four hundred years ago.
“How did you track me down?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“Money can summon even ghosts,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Understanding immediately, Bukgung Ryeong shook his head. “I suppose it’s time to cut ties with the Beggar Sect.”
It was known that the current Beggar Sect leader, Nobong, was afflicted with a strange illness.
But Bukgung Ryeong had long known it was a lie.
He hadn’t pressed the issue out of respect for his ties with Gu Hongcheong, but seeing how easily Bu Eunseol had found him, he concluded the Beggar Sect’s intelligence network was no longer trustworthy.
“You must have a request for me,” Bukgung Ryeong said, seeing through Bu Eunseol’s intentions.
As the heir to Majeon, Bu Eunseol wouldn’t venture into the martial world alone without reason. He clearly had something to ask.
“Alright, I’ll be honest,” Bu Eunseol said, stepping closer and getting to the point without hesitation.
“Let’s have a fight.”
“What?”
“A life-or-death duel.” Bukgung Ryeong stared at Bu Eunseol, brow furrowed, wondering what this was about. The sincerity in Bu Eunseol’s eyes was unmistakable, but why would he seek such a fight?
“Are you serious?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“Have you mastered a martial art capable of defeating me?”
“The opposite. I came prepared to die.”
It was an honest answer.
Staring into Bu Eunseol’s eyes, Bukgung Ryeong realized something and smirked. “There’s a faint crack in your spirit. You can’t advance your martial prowess further, or perhaps it’s regressing.”
“How did you know?” Bu Eunseol asked, surprised.
“Didn’t we spend days together in that damned vault?” Bukgung Ryeong chuckled. “Back then, your eyes were steady and resolute. But now, they waver constantly… a sign your spirit is unsettled.”
The eyes are the window to the soul.
Bukgung Ryeong had discerned Bu Eunseol’s spiritual state from the subtle energy in his gaze.
“You’re exactly right,” Bu Eunseol admitted readily. “For some reason, my spirit has fractured, and I hesitate when executing my martial arts.”
“And?”
“The only way to overcome it seems to be a life-or-death battle.”
“Hmph, why should I fight you?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“Isn’t this a golden opportunity to deal with a vile demonic seed who might harm the righteous martial world in the future?” Bu Eunseol replied, half-joking, half-serious.
Bukgung Ryeong let out a short laugh. “A tempting proposal, but I have more pressing matters.”
“What do you mean?”
“Five of the Ten Cosmic Weapons have surfaced.”
The Ten Cosmic Weapons.
These were ten legendary artifacts passed down through the martial world, each possessing immense power and rumored to have a spirit of their own. They could sense their wielder’s spirit and, when infused with inner energy, unleash unique and formidable power.
“If all the Ten Cosmic Weapons had appeared, I would’ve heard about it,” Bu Eunseol said.
As the heir to Majeon, leading Affectionate Blossom Sect, Nangyang, and the secret organization Nine Deaths Squad, he would surely have been informed if five of the Ten Cosmic Weapons had emerged.
“The map to their location was deliberately spread to certain individuals, so you wouldn’t know,” Bukgung Ryeong said, his voice heavy as he gazed at the distant sky. “And those individuals, like me, are lone wanderers protecting the martial world—righteous heroes.”
“A trap to bring down people like you?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“Exactly,” Bukgung Ryeong replied, gritting his teeth. “I must recover them.”
For martial artists, secret manuals and divine weapons were irresistible.
Their ultimate desire was unmatched martial power.
The Ten Cosmic Weapons, capable of granting immense strength with a single wield, were a temptation no martial artist could resist.
“Desiring divine weapons is natural for a martial artist. Why must you intervene?” Bu Eunseol asked.
Bukgung Ryeong sighed bitterly. “The outcome of a treasure hunt is always destruction.”
If word spread that a map to five of the Ten Cosmic Weapons had surfaced, a bloodbath would engulf the martial world.
Moreover, this map was a deliberate trap set by mysterious forces. Bukgung Ryeong was determined to stop it, even if he had to act alone.
“Why must you be the one to stop it?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“If they die in the scramble, the righteous heroes doing good for the martial world will vanish,” Bukgung Ryeong said with a wry smile. “As an elder, shouldn’t I step up?”
His every thought was for the martial world’s safety.
Bu Eunseol had little interest in the martial world’s affairs. Yet Bukgung Ryeong’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good earned a sliver of his respect.
“No helping it, then,” Bu Eunseol said, taking a deep breath and nodding. “Let’s meet again.”
He turned to leave without hesitation.
Whoosh.
But then, another gust of wind sounded, and black-clad assassins appeared around the clearing.
Their numbers easily exceeded three hundred. Their eyes were lifeless, like those of rotten fish, likely due to drugs, and their bodies were equipped with metallic devices that appeared to be hidden weapons.
“Looks like trouble,” Bu Eunseol muttered, passing by the assassins calmly.
There was no need to fight those targeting Bukgung Ryeong.
“Kah!” But something strange happened.
With a thunderous shout, the assassins charged not at Bukgung Ryeong but at Bu Eunseol.
Boom! Boom!
Bu Eunseol unleashed the Seven Demon Fists, sending the attacking assassins flying.
“What’s this?” he said, rubbing his fist and frowning at the assassins. “Do they attack anyone they see now?”
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Instead of answering, the assassins activated their hidden weapons, aiming at Bu Eunseol.
He immediately used Return to Origin to redirect the projectiles.
Whoosh!
But the incoming weapons suddenly turned into silver dust around him.
Clank!
At the same time, assassins at the rear drew large hidden weapon devices and fired at him.
Pew! Pew! Pew! Pew!
The weapons were tiny feather needles. Bu Eunseol dodged them effortlessly with his footwork, but—
Swoosh!
The feather needles suddenly veered sharply, homing in on him.
‘Magnets?’ Bu Eunseol realized the silver dust on his body was powerfully magnetic. The assassins had used a unique tactic to counter his swift movement techniques.
But something was odd.
Even after returning to the clearing with Bukgung Ryeong, the assassins targeted only Bu Eunseol, firing their hidden weapons relentlessly.
“Ha ha ha, looks like you’re their target now too!” Bukgung Ryeong laughed heartily from a distance. “You were on their kill list from the start.”
“No way,” Bu Eunseol said, frowning. “If they wanted to attack me, they had plenty of chances. Why now?”
“You’re the heir to Majeon, aren’t you? They couldn’t attack when you were at the sect or leading a large force,” Bukgung Ryeong said with a low chuckle, pointing at the assassins. “But now you’re alone in the martial world. They wouldn’t miss this chance.”
It was a logical deduction.
Bu Eunseol had repeatedly clashed with the masked figures’ forces, dismantling their Blood Death Valley, Five Poisons Sect, and Sahyang.
It would be stranger if he weren’t on their kill list.
‘They waited for a moment when the Nine Deaths Squad weren’t around,’ Bu Eunseol thought.
Narrowing his eyes, he shouted at Bukgung Ryeong, “So, you’re just going to watch?”
The number of masked figures surrounding the forest had grown to over three hundred.
But Bukgung Ryeong shook his head with a smile. “Might as well take this chance to observe the demonic martial arts that could harm the righteous martial world in the future.”
As if retaliating for earlier, Bukgung Ryeong climbed a tree and settled in to watch.
“Fine,” Bu Eunseol said, summoning his full inner energy.
Hum!
A dark, shadowy aura surged behind him, soaring into the sky.
Using the Wishful True Binding True Technique, he conjured a massive hand.
Shing!
At the same time, he swung his ink-black sword, sending a sword aura that sliced through the tree Bukgung Ryeong was perched on. The conjured hand then hurled the tree toward the assassins.
“What are you doing?!” Bukgung Ryeong shouted.
“Whoops, it went that way,” Bu Eunseol said nonchalantly.
Bukgung Ryeong quickly leaped to another tree, but Bu Eunseol repeated the tactic, felling trees one after another, leaving Bukgung Ryeong no choice but to land beside him.
“You—!” Bukgung Ryeong began.
Zing!
But before he could speak, a swarm of feather needles rained down like a horde of bees. Bukgung Ryeong tried to evade and watch from a distance, but each time, Bu Eunseol cut down the trees.
“Hmph.” With no way to spectate leisurely, Bukgung Ryeong reluctantly used his movement techniques to escape.
But the assassins had already tightly encircled the clearing. Moreover, Bu Eunseol followed him, dodging in his direction, forcing Bukgung Ryeong into the fray.
“You—!” Bukgung Ryeong fumed, but with Bu Eunseol’s superior movement techniques, he couldn’t shake him off.
“You water ghost!” he cursed.
Left with no choice, Bukgung Ryeong stood back-to-back with Bu Eunseol, unleashing his Inner Bullet Technique.
“Huff. Huff.” The forest clearing was a gruesome sight.
Over three hundred corpses lay scattered, and at the center, two men stood back-to-back, breathing heavily.
Bu Eunseol and Bukgung Ryeong.
Together, they had cut down over three hundred assassins wielding bizarre hidden weapons. Both had reached the Supreme Heavenly Realm, but dealing with drugged assassins using strange weapons was no easy feat.
“You shameless bastard!” Bukgung Ryeong growled, wiping blood from his face. “Because of you, I got dragged into this mess!”
“Who’s talking?” Bu Eunseol retorted, shaking his head. “I came to challenge you to a fight, and now I’m stuck with this bad luck.”
“What? Bad luck?” Bukgung Ryeong snapped.
“I said it’s already stuck to me,” Bu Eunseol replied.
“How dare you say that to my face!” Bukgung Ryeong roared. “They call you the Mad Sword, and you’re every bit the lunatic I heard about!”
“I’ve never met someone as stubborn and hot-tempered as you at your white-bearded age,” Bu Eunseol shot back.
Bickering like this was something children did.
One was the revered heir to Majeon, the other a renowned righteous hero known for his solemnity.
Two men of entirely different paths and statuses, squatting side by side, trading barbs? Anyone witnessing this would have been dumbfounded.
“…” A brief silence fell.
Exhausted, the two men squatted, catching their breath.
“Hmph.” Bukgung Ryeong snorted, turning his gaze to the distant sky. “Judging by their actions, it seems they’re starting to eliminate those who interfere.”
Brushing off his collar, he turned and said, “From now on, don’t wander the martial world alone.”
“Are you worried about me?” Bu Eunseol asked.
“If you’re jealous of my situation, go ahead and try it,” Bukgung Ryeong said playfully, but his voice carried a deep loneliness.
He had roamed the martial world alone his entire life, yet the enemy’s true form remained elusive. With time, he felt only the growing chasm of their power. Perhaps Bukgung Ryeong sensed his fate might not differ much from the Martial Emperor’s.
“Where are the Ten Cosmic Weapons hidden?” Bu Eunseol asked, his voice low, as if he had resolved something after a moment of thought. “Where’s the map?”
“What do you plan to do with that knowledge?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“To be honest, I came to the martial world to fight you to the death,” Bu Eunseol said, avoiding Bukgung Ryeong’s piercing gaze. “But if something happens to you, I’d be in trouble, wouldn’t I?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“If you go to that map alone, you’ll fall into a trap and die. Let’s handle it together.”
“A trap? What trap?”
Bu Eunseol replied calmly, “First, you’d be framed for the map.”
—The Bullet King Bukgung Ryeong used force to seize all the Ten Cosmic Weapons!
If such a rumor spread, his reputation would plummet, and he’d be relentlessly pursued by those coveting the weapons.
“The second?” Bukgung Ryeong asked.
“You’ve been alone for decades, haven’t you? They know that and likely tailored the trap to exploit it.”
“Hmm.”
“With an ally, you could easily break such a trap. And the third…” Bu Eunseol pointed at himself with his thumb. “They might not want your death but your honor.”
“My honor?”
“Yes. If the worst happens, wouldn’t it be good to have someone to take the blame?” In short, Bu Eunseol was saying he would shoulder the consequences if the worst came to pass.
‘This guy…’ A faint tremor passed through Bukgung Ryeong’s phoenix-like eyes.
He had devoted his life to protecting the martial world’s peace, yet no one had ever acknowledged it.
His fiery, unyielding nature had never been welcomed.
He had maintained a long acquaintance with the Beggar King Gu Hongcheong, but it was born of mutual need, not camaraderie.
Yet here was the heir to Majeon, walking a different path, willingly extending a hand to him.
