Chapter 140
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Demons and Ghosts (5)
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“What did you say?”
Mok Gang-in's eyes flashed menacingly.
They were not the eyes of a human. Whatever martial art he practiced, his gaze was so alien it was hard for anyone to meet.
“An inspector?”
“That's right.”
An inspector, out of nowhere? What is this situation?
“As far as I know, there is no such position as an inspector in the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon.”
Geumcheon also looked confused.
“But the man is clearly a demonic practitioner. And a formidable master at that.”
“...”
“Furthermore...”
“What is it?”
Geumcheon swallowed.
“They say... they're holding the Young Palace Lord hostage.”
*Crack!*
A terrifyingly sharp energy erupted from Mok Gang-in's body.
*Swish!*
Slashes appeared on the furniture in the room. Formless sword ki had been unleashed uncontrollably. Blood seeped from the shoulder of Geumcheon, who couldn't dodge in time.
“Soha has been taken hostage?”
“Yes.”
“...Interesting.”
Mok Gang-in rose from his seat.
“Let's go and see.”
* * *
*Swoosh.*
Stone dust scattered in the blowing wind.
Ma Dongpil clicked his tongue in amazement.
‘Incredible.’
It wasn't just the main gate that had been swept away by the powerful saber wind. A portion of the outer wall connected to it had also been pulverized into dust. The trail of destruction looked as if a monster the size of a fortress had smashed it with its foreleg.
‘That wasn't the Calamity Saber Art. To have such power even without it...’
Ma Dongpil glanced at Seo Ryang.
*Fwoosh! Crackle!*
Seo Ryang emanated a brilliant demonic energy, like a blazing fire. Menacing sparks of lightning crackled amidst the spreading crimson demonic ki.
‘He's grown even stronger.’
There's no doubt about it. The Young Master must have taken another step forward during this inspection.
‘He is truly magnificent.’
Regardless of the field, growth is bound to slow as one approaches the level of a grandmaster. But the Young Master seemed to defy such common sense.
‘It hasn't been long since he transcended his limits, and yet he's taken another step...’
The realm of the transcendent is a state that surpasses human limits.
But beyond that lies another wall. Those who have surpassed human limits but not the framework of their martial arts struggle to break free from that very framework.
A wall higher than any fortress and harder than any steel.
This wall, which demonic practitioners face in their quest to transcend the limits of martial arts, is known to the world as the Wall within the Demonic Path.
‘Could it be that the Young Master is already standing before the Wall within the Demonic Path?’
Ma Dongpil remembered. Before the Festival of Papiyas, Seo Ryang had manifested the Supreme Demonic True Fire.
The Supreme Demonic True Fire was a state equivalent to the Samadhi True Fire of the orthodox martial world. And the Samadhi True Fire was a privilege only those who had entered the Realm of Creation could wield. Therefore, it was right to assume that the Young Master, who had manifested it, had reached the Realm of the Ultimate Demon.
But the Young Master had denied it, saying he had not yet reached the Realm of the Ultimate Demon.
That was likely true. If he had reached that realm, he wouldn't have been so injured back at the Red Snake House.
‘In other words, he is on the verge of the Ultimate Demonic Realm.’
Ma Dongpil felt a sense of wonder.
He was in his mid-twenties, and had even suffered from Qi Deviation, losing all his martial arts. Even considering he had consumed countless spirit bamboos in the death trap known as the Solitary Bamboo Forest, his growth rate was mystifying.
He thought he could no longer be surprised, but he was wrong. The more he served him, the more he was amazed by this wondrous person.
‘This is the talent of a genius chosen by the gods, a candidate for the next Demonic God...’
Ma Dongpil gazed at Seo Ryang with eyes filled not just with admiration, but with deep emotion.
Seo Ryang, however, did not notice his gaze.
‘My ki has grown stronger.’
He raised his left fist.
A faint luminescence stirred within his thick, bulging veins.
‘I'm almost there.’
The true opening of the Nine Hells Demonic Art, Hell's Gate Opening, was not created simply to unleash greater power. The opening of Hell's Gate was a breakthrough to enlightenment, designed to elevate the user to a higher realm.
The first stage, the Art of the Underworld Ghost Gate, was created to explore the essence of the Demonic. It was a way to understand the Demonic with one's body by drawing in the demonic energy teeming in hell.
Thus, mastering the Art of the Underworld Ghost Gate allows one to easily learn any demonic art under the heavens.
The second stage, the Art of the Heaven-Gazing Demon's Gate, amplifies the demonic energy obtained from the Ghost Gate Art, pushing it to its absolute limit. Amplifying demonic ki that has already reached its peak is akin to constantly hammering on the wall of the Ultimate Demon.
A demon gazes upon the high heavens to finally realize where the true gate lies. It is a study of constantly embodying the essence of the Demonic.
In the end, the Ghost Gate Art and the Gate Knowing Art are one. This art, both two and one, is a technique created to break through to the Realm of the Ultimate Demon.
‘Soon, I'll be able to break through the Demonic Wall.’
He had opened the Ghost Gate and Gate Knowing Arts several times, and each time, he had expressed emotions so intense they felt like they would shatter his middle dantian.
That violent rage and resentment stimulated the Nine Hells Demonic Art fearsomely, and the stimulated art stained not just Seo Ryang's body, but his very mind with the Demonic.
He was now infinitely close to the Demonic. Truly, only one step remained.
‘It would be good to meet a master who could challenge me now.’
It was then.
*Chiiiing!!*
Would two divine swords, full of resilience, make such a sound if they clashed?
‘He's coming.’
*Whoooosh.*
With an deafening roar, a strange energy erupted from within the Red Snake House. It was an energy that was in no way inferior to Seo Ryang's own fiery and brilliant aura.
No, it felt even more dangerous. The erupting aura was even mixed with formless sword ki.
‘Huh?’
Seo Ryang's eyes flashed.
‘This one's a real piece of work.’
It was like a blood-soaked ghost clinging to the blade of a master craftsman, polished to perfection. A bizarre aura where a chillingly sharp edge and an incomparably sinister ghostly energy coexisted.
*Swoosh.*
The stone debris rolling on the ground scattered towards where Seo Ryang stood.
It was the presence of a supreme master, beginning to dominate the entire domain of the Red Snake House. Its range wasn't as wide as Seo Ryang's aura, which had covered the vast forest, but its concentration was far denser.
As if to declare, ‘This is my kingdom.’
It was the arrival of a great giant, showing off his prowess with a terrifying presence.
“An inspector from the Divine Cult, you say?”
A man stood atop the fortress wall nearest to the gate, looking this way.
The man, dressed in an ordinary cloak, had a face that made it difficult to guess his age. At a glance, he seemed to be in his thirties or forties, but from another angle, he looked over sixty. His appearance was as strange as his alien presence.
Seo Ryang's eyes deepened.
“So the head thief shows himself.”
“Head thief?”
An expression he had never heard before. Mok Gang-in ignored the man's words.
“As far as I know, there is no such position as an inspector in the Divine Cult.”
“Enough talk. With a presence like this, you must be that Vice Lord of the Sword Palace, right?”
A faint ghostly energy flickered in Mok Gang-in's eyes.
The emotion contained in that gaze was surprise.
“How did you know that?”
“Didn't you get the message? Your heir is in our hands.”
Mok Gang-in fell silent for a moment.
He spoke again after half a moment had passed.
“I can't believe it.”
“What can't you believe?”
“Did the Young Palace Lord of my palace really tell you all that?”
“That's how I know.”
“Soha has a frivolous side, unbecoming of a swordsman. But he is not one to speak so easily. My palace is not so soft as to choose a loose-lipped person as its heir.”
Mok Gang-in's eyes flashed. The more one looked, the more chilling his gaze became.
“I'll ask. Who told you we were swordsmen of the Sword Palace?”
“From your heir.”
“...Stop playing with words.”
“Believe it or not, I don't care. But is it really that important? Weren't you planning to spread rumors throughout the demonic martial world anyway?”
“...!”
“I am a special inspector of the Divine Cult. I may not be the Cult Leader, but I'm a big enough shot, wouldn't you say?”
Seo Ryang said coldly.
“A position far too grand for you damn thieves to receive.”
*Sss...*
Mok Gang-in's hair stirred on its own.
The sharp glint in his eyes grew deeper.
“You're right. What's important is the fact that you came here with hostile intent.”
“Glad we can be straightforward.”
“Will you step inside?”
“Of course I will. But I'm not just going to walk in blindly.”
*Wooooong.*
The Dragon Scale Saber let out a magnificent hum.
Seo Ryang said coldly.
“I've heard that despite its rough edges, the Sword Palace is a group of sword fiends who bet their lives on a single blade. That they may not know the ways of a warrior, but they understand the honor of a swordsman.”
“...”
“So, wouldn't it be awkward for us to just walk into a place swarming with half-wits who've cast aside even that honor to use poison?”
Mok Gang-in stared intently at Seo Ryang.
A moment later, his hand touched the hilt of his sword.
*Shhhng.*
“I don't know if you're an inspector or what, but you have a first-class tongue.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Let's see if your martial arts are as impressive as your mouth.”
“You're going to check from up there? Why don't you come down here?”
The chilling glint in Mok Gang-in's eyes subsided, replaced by a deep calm.
“I'll judge after I've confirmed your level.”
*Shhk.*
He drew his sword, holding it in a middle guard.
Unlike the swords of the Central Plains, it was a two-handed sword with a long hilt. But it was neither a treasured sword nor a divine weapon—just an ordinary iron sword.
Seo Ryang's eyes deepened.
*Crackle!*
Just by pointing his sword at his target, his presence intensified.
A storm of sharp energy shot out like an arrow. Formless sword ki rose on its own, leaving deep cuts on the surrounding objects.
*Chiiiii!*
A blue haze shimmered around the blade.
“This is the Way of the Formless Sword.”
*Viiiiing!*
The blade, which had been shimmering with a haze, was soon completely bathed in a blue light.
“Now, try and take this.”
*Flash!*
Before he even finished speaking, a flash of blue sword light shot toward Seo Ryang.
‘...!’
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened in horror.
‘So fa—’
The speed of his thoughts couldn't keep up with the speed of the sword light. It was a sword ki technique of truly incredible velocity.
Seo Ryang's hands moved like lightning.
*Krrrrrrumble!!*
The ground where Seo Ryang stood shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Shattered fragments of stone flew in all directions. Ma Dongpil himself was thrown fifty feet back by the sudden storm.
“Young Master!”
*Whoooosh.*
A cloud of dust rose from the ground, soaring as if to reach the sky.
Mok Gang-in's eyes narrowed.
*Boom!*
An explosion roared from within the dust cloud.
Simultaneously, a blade of wind carrying a formless, immense force shot up, causing the dust cloud to swirl violently.
*Whoosh! Crackle!*
Crimson lightning sparked within the whirlwind spinning at a ferocious speed.
*Fwoom!*
Soon, the massive dust cloud spun even faster, shooting high into the sky.
And then, the scene was revealed.
*Drip. Drip.*
In his right hand, the Dragon Scale Saber; in his left, the Seven Nights Saber.
Blood trickled from the corner of Seo Ryang's eye, who was in a low stance with his two sabers crossed. If his reaction had been even a fraction slower, not just his eye but half of his head would have been blown away.
A hint of surprise appeared in Mok Gang-in's eyes.
“You blocked it?”
“It wasn't easy.”
Seo Ryang grinned.
*Flash!*
From his crossed stance, he swung both sabers.
A violent, cross-shaped burst of saber ki shot toward Mok Gang-in like a bolt of lightning. It was slower than the Way of the Formless Sword, but far more powerful and intense.
Mok Gang-in swung his sword down hard.
*Claaaaang!*
The shattered saber ki scattered and vanished.
“Not a bad return gift, was it?”
“...Sufficient.”
*Crack.*
Mok Gang-in's eyebrow twitched. A fine crack had appeared on the blade that had blocked the saber ki.
“Let me tell you something.”
Mok Gang-in raised his head and looked at Seo Ryang.
For a moment, his eyes wavered.
*Fwoooosh!*
Seo Ryang's eyes, emanating a fiery demonic energy, were stained crimson. It was a vicious glare, no less sinister than Mok Gang-in's own Ghost Eyes.
“I can tolerate most things, but I never forgive bastards who try to snatch my prey from me.”
“...Prey?”
*Crackle!*
The Dragon Scale and Seven Nights sabers were engulfed in a massive amount of lightning.
“I'm going to annihilate every last one of you sons of bitches who deserve to be chewed up and spat out, so don't even think about running.”
Seo Ryang roared.
“Geumho!!”
*Kaaaaaang!*
Along with the roar of a beast erupting from the distance, a vicious demonic energy surged in from all directions.
Mok Gang-in's eyes widened.
Seo Ryang lowered his stance.
“Dongpil, keep up!”
“Yes!”
*Fwoosh!*
The two of them leaped through the shattered main gate at incredible speed.
As the lord of demons and the chief of ghosts charged at each other, the frenzied battle for the Red Snake House finally began.