Chapter 461: Change (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 461: Change (5)
BOOM!
A bolt of thunder crashed down from the black clouds shrouding the sky.
CRACK! SLAM!
The terrifying lightning did not strike just once, but rained down in a relentless, consecutive barrage. With every earth-shattering impact, trees and rocks were torn to shreds. The dry forests of Sichuan began to burn, set ablaze by the heavenly fury.
Amidst the chaos, an old man never ceased swinging his sword.
Swish! Swish-swish!
His blade cut through the air with impossible speed, a pace no ordinary person could hope to follow. And as his sword danced, the lightning continued its endless assault.
RUMBLE! CRASH!
The air grew thick with the acrid smell of burning—a stench of charred flesh and scorched earth. Yet, even surrounded by this devastation, the old man did not halt. His attacks were relentless, and when he finally paused, all that remained was a blackened, smoldering wasteland.
“…”
Heavenly Venerable, the last surviving master of the Namgung family and the one who had called down the lightning, wiped his blade clean, a faint sign of exhaustion finally showing on his face. Summoning such a continuous storm had consumed a significant amount of his Qi. He took a steadying breath, his gaze sharpening as it fixed on a single point within the scorched landscape.
In one particular spot, the ground itself was melting, bubbling from the residual heat of the lightning strikes. Through the thick haze of smoke, the Heavenly Venerable glared at that spot, his brow furrowed. After a moment of intense scrutiny, he sensed a presence writhing within the smoke.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue in disgust, the Heavenly Venerable swung his sword once more.
WHOOSH!
A wave of wind erupted from his blade, sweeping the area clean of smoke and ash, revealing what lay beneath.
Something was melting on the ground. A body, blackened to match the charred earth, was still wreathed in flames.
It’s not out yet.
The fire still burned.
The Heavenly Venerable’s frown deepened as he stared at the ‘thing’ that now took a deep, ragged breath, its body slumped forward as if it had lost consciousness. A profound disgust welled up within him.
What was that thing?
How monstrous.
He couldn’t comprehend it, no matter how long he looked. The Heavenly Venerable had severed its arms and legs. He had struck its body countless times with lightning. And yet, the bastard’s body always returned to normal as if nothing had happened. It regenerated without any issue. No matter how many times it was mutilated, it simply healed.
How was such a thing possible?
What is that thing?
It was difficult to call it a Demon, and it was certainly impossible to call it human. The Heavenly Venerable had tried his best to uncover its identity, but he had failed. All he felt from the figure was a sense of strangeness and monstrosity. Its body remained perfectly intact no matter how many times it was struck by lightning; its durability was absurd.
However.
Shiiing-
As his sword began to vibrate, a realization dawned on the Heavenly Venerable.
Even if the enemy regenerated endlessly, it must have a weakness. There was one particular spot the bastard continuously protected.
The neck.
It was its neck. The bastard always shielded its neck. Judging by that behavior, that was its weak point.
There was another clue. The bastard’s left chest had a clean, gaping hole—likely the scar from when the Heavenly Venerable had stabbed its heart earlier. It was a mystery why that particular wound had remained.
Grrrr…
A deep, bestial growl echoed through the wasteland.
Upon hearing the sound, the Heavenly Venerable shifted his stance.
It was coming.
Kyaaaaa-!
After drawing a deep breath, the bastard roared loudly and charged at the Heavenly Venerable once again, its speed undiminished. Blue flames erupted from its back, scattering in multiple directions as they homed in on the old man.
The Heavenly Venerable frowned at the sight. Just looking at those flames made his shoulder ache.
That flame is problematic.
The injury he had sustained earlier still throbbed. And that wasn’t all. Afterwards, his arm had become immobile, as if paralyzed. Using his Qi to heal the wound had no effect; his arm remained stiff as stone. Nothing worked.
How was this happening?
Swoosh-!
A tendril of blue flame skimmed past the Heavenly Venerable. It was only a glancing blow, yet he felt his entire body sway from the force. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
This is a problem.
An attack of that level should never be able to touch someone of his caliber. This could only mean there was something inherently special about that blue flame.
Ache.
The Heavenly Venerable grimaced as a fresh wave of pain shot through his shoulder. This was the biggest problem.
Drip…
Blood began to seep from a wound on his chest, dripping from his fingertips. He tried to use his Qi to stem the flow, but it was useless.
“You bastard.”
Shing-
He channeled more Sword Qi and Combat Qi, pouring his energy into his blade. It was humiliating to be pushed this far by a mere monster. What would Wi Hyogun say if he saw this? He would surely laugh. And what of the Dishonored Venerable? Would he be disappointed?
Woong-!
A powerful sword resonance echoed from the Heavenly Venerable’s blade.
“Grrrr…!”
The enemy’s attacks continued unabated, accompanied by its furious roars. It moved without pause, as if it never tired.
CLANG-!
His blade met the monster’s arm, but the sound of the impact was unnaturally harsh. The Heavenly Venerable pressed his assault, forcing the monster back a step. Before it could recover, he swung his sword again.
Swish-!
“Kyaaaa!”
The bastard screamed as its wrist was cleanly severed. Gripping his sword hilt tightly, the Heavenly Venerable prepared to thrust toward its chest.
BLAZE-!
“…!”
He saw flames gathering within the bastard’s wide-open mouth. Reacting instantly, the Heavenly Venerable began to retreat.
BOOOOM-!
An unbelievable torrent of flame exploded from the monster’s mouth, engulfing everything around the Heavenly Venerable in an unbearable inferno.
This is…
Gritting his teeth against the searing heat, the Heavenly Venerable became certain.
That was a Demon. Such power could not belong to anything else.
So it’s a Demon wearing a human mask?
He recalled that his first battle against a Red Demon had not been this difficult. A Red Demon could be subdued with a sufficient outpouring of Qi, but this bastard was far more durable. Judging by its endless regeneration and unbelievable firepower, it was hard to believe it was human. It seemed more like a completely new type of Demon.
Perhaps it was the legendary White Demon from tales of old. Maybe this was what it felt like to fight a White Demon. If that wasn’t the case, he could find no other explanation for why he was struggling so much. This had to be it.
“Kyaa!”
The beast roared again.
The Heavenly Venerable swung his sword downward.
RUMBLE-!
Lightning struck down from the sky, ensnaring the bastard’s foot.
“Kyraaaa!”
The beast shrieked as its body caught fire from the direct hit. The Heavenly Venerable observed his enemy and gave a slight nod. This was enough.
Shing-
The atmosphere around the Heavenly Venerable shifted the moment he changed his stance. In his mind, he drew a sharp blade.
No, it wasn’t sharp. It had grown dull ever since his inner demons began to haunt him. But for now, this would suffice.
Even if he had slowed down and his Qi had diminished, the thought of defeat never crossed his mind. Instead, he focused on observing his enemy, determined to unravel the beast’s true nature.
“Kyaaaa!”
As the beast screamed against the continuing lightning strikes, the Heavenly Venerable’s blade and body aligned into a single, straight line. This was a state achievable not by Qi or training alone. It was a realm only a true swordsman could reach. This blade contained all the training and enlightenment the old man had accumulated over his entire life.
There was no way a Demon wearing a human mask could withstand this attack.
Playtime is over.
It pained his pride that he had been pressured, even for a moment, but he pushed the thought aside. He wasn’t here to waste time with this bastard. He still had business with his last living blood relative, who lay helpless behind a distant tree.
Kyaaaa-!!
His eyes fixed on the bastard’s neck, the Heavenly Venerable closed his eyes. Darkness filled his vision, but within it, he found a single strand of light—a spark ignited in the blackness. He saw it. His mind might be fogged by inner demons, but he had definitely seen the light.
With his eyes closed, that light showed him precisely where to strike.
The Heavenly Venerable slowly began to swing his blade downward in that direction. His arm trembled—a tremor that grew more pronounced because this attack was born purely from his mind.
SLAM-!
In that instant, a beam of light shot forth in a straight line, cleaving through the clouds. The sky itself seemed to part. High above, the light took the form of a transparent sword. It looked like a rusty blade that had lost its edge, yet its mere presence was awe-inspiring.
The colossal beam of light began its descent toward the monster. This power was sufficient not only to sever the beast’s head but to utterly erase the monster and everything surrounding it from existence. That was the Heavenly Venerable’s aim. He had considered the possibility that the neck was not the true weakness and had pondered how to counter its endless regeneration.
After unleashing this ultimate martial technique, the Heavenly Venerable slowly opened his eyes. He let out a breath as he watched the gigantic pillar of light fall from the sky.
“It’s over.”
He was certain. He had gathered every ounce of knowledge and enlightenment gained in his lifetime and poured it all into that single attack. Only two people had ever withstood it: the Sword Emperor and the Heavenly Demon. No one else could survive. The Heavenly Venerable was sure of it.
And then—
CRAAAAAASH-!
The light struck the exact spot he had aimed for.
BOOOOOOM-!!
A deafening sound wave erupted outwards, followed by an explosion of dust and smoke. Shattered debris filled the air, and the dry trees tilted violently, threatening to be uprooted by the sheer wind pressure. The impact was tremendous.
Witnessing the cataclysm, the Heavenly Venerable turned his back. It was over. There was no way the enemy could have survived that. While it would be prudent to search for traces, his priority was to kill the Demonic Sword first. He would finally find peace after killing that child.
That was the approval he had received.
Yes, approval.
The Heavenly Venerable had been given approval.
He was told that he could enter Sichuan to kill the young man and the Demonic—
…Pause.
The Heavenly Venerable stopped in his tracks after taking only a few steps. A wave of confusion washed over him.
…From who?
Who had given him that approval? Who was it? His memory was faint; he couldn’t remember.
“Ugh…!”
He groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead. It was as if he had forgotten everything that had happened, as if someone had intentionally erased a part of his memory.
“…What… is happ-”
Just as he began to grow annoyed by this strange lapse,
Rustle-
“…!”
The Heavenly Venerable spun around, sensing a sudden presence. Horror dawned on his face.
What…?
How could he feel a presence? That was the direction where his ultimate attack had landed. There should be no life left in that area.
Woong-
His hand tightened around his sword once more.
It was not a mistake. A presence was emanating from that direction.
It withstood that attack?
Did the beast truly survive? That was impossible. If it had, then the beast might as well be immortal.
Frowning deeply, the Heavenly Venerable stared into the distance.
Blaze.
He felt it then—the same flames from before.
Blaze-!
Blue flames began to rise again.
Seeing this, the Heavenly Venerable became certain. His attack had failed.
What a problem this is.
In that case, he had no choice but to expend all of his strength. Just as he began to gather his Qi,
“…Life.”
“…?”
“Is a fucking joke.”
Unexpected words emerged from within the flames.
“Fucking hell. First, I find him a place to take a shit, and now he’s asking me to wipe it clean. This is why one shouldn’t raise a dumb beast…”
“…”
The Heavenly Venerable frowned upon hearing the voice, which spoke in a harsh, crude manner. What was happening now? He looked on in confusion.
Step.
Something slowly approached. It was the same figure as before. So it was alive. Did that mean the voice belonged to that bastard?
Its appearance hadn’t changed much. It still resembled a shadow, as if wrapped completely in a mysterious blackness. But there were slight differences. The hole in its chest was gone, and it wasn’t engulfed in flames as violently as before.
As the enemy drew nearer, the Heavenly Venerable demanded, “…Just what are you?”
He had to know the nature of this monster.
Upon hearing the question, the beast replied, “You are rude, just like that Myung bastard.”
“…?”
It began spouting incomprehensible words. Whether the Heavenly Venerable understood or not, the figure continued, a smile evident in its tone. “You are annoying just like him as well.”
Blaze. Flames flickered to life around the bastard. Was it a trick of the light? For some reason, the rising flames now looked somewhat like flower petals.
“At least it’ll be satisfying beating you up.”