Chapter 143
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: An Evil Lotus Blooms in a Swamp of Blood (3)
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*Thud.*
“……”
Lee Cheonsang gazed at the fallen petal.
Even before reaching this realm, he had never been one for dramatics. He was always aloof, never having suffered from the pangs of loneliness.
Why was that? For some reason, he had felt the urge to visit the Pavilion of Demonic Judgment today. Although he came here occasionally, he had never felt such a strong temptation as he did today.
He was curious and intrigued by the source of this temptation. He wanted to know why the Pavilion of Demonic Judgment was calling to him.
He tilted his head.
‘Strange.’
The Pavilion of Demonic Judgment is maintained by the Cult Leader's Absolute Demonic Energy. Whatever happens within it is a manifestation of a subject's heart, shown to him, Lee Cheonsang, the Cult Leader.
But right now, there was no subject. In that case, what was this phenomenon in the Pavilion of Demonic Judgment showing him?
It was Lee Cheonsang's own heart.
*Ssssss.*
The fallen petal was instantly sucked into the swamp.
That's right. It was a swamp.
The garden, once in full bloom, was gradually turning into a bloody marsh. And in the middle of that swamp, a single, jet-black lotus flower was blooming.
The lotus, a symbol of the Buddha.
But this lotus was stained with ominous and malevolent energy. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the symbol of an Evil Buddha.
‘What is that?’
Since this was a manifestation of his own heart, did that lotus mean that a malicious intent was brewing somewhere within him?
‘No.’
No. Lee Cheonsang was certain.
He was a man who could contemplate his own self better than anyone. One who could not properly look into their own heart could never build a realm of deification.
‘If not me, then who?’
In that instant, Lee Cheonsang's eyes gleamed.
“Oho.”
He felt his own chest.
The formation of the Pavilion of Demonic Judgment was modeled after the Demonic Formation of the Solitary Bamboo Forest. Interlinked with it was a sorcerer's Formless Formation, inscribed upon his heart.
It was less sophisticated than the Demonic Formation of the Solitary Bamboo Forest, so he couldn't see the minute details of what transpired there. However, when the Lord of the Solitary Bamboo Forest left, he could roughly sense where that Spirit God was heading and what condition they were in.
That jet-black lotus blooming in the bloody swamp was an illusion drawn by the Formless Formation—a Phantom Formation Diagram.
In that case?
“A new demon is blossoming.”
The Lord of the Solitary Bamboo Forest was resonating with the third child through spiritual energy.
The corners of Lee Cheonsang's lips curled up.
“Truly fast.”
A young man, not yet thirty, who had lost everything to qi deviation, was already trying to break through the ordeal of the Ultimate Demon. Even if he had lowered the intensity of the demonic path's wall by mixing in Buddhist martial arts, it was still an incomprehensible growth rate.
Lee Cheonsang reached out his hand.
*Wooooong.*
The formless demonic energy flowing from his fingertips seeped into the black lotus.
*Shhhhhhh!*
The lotus grew in size in an instant. Atop its massive pedestal, an indescribable red monster was roaring with its maw wide open.
Lee Cheonsang's eyes flashed.
“So if I were to put my mind to it and lend him my power, he could become a monster of that magnitude.”
He had told the third child that he held him in high esteem.
He despised those who had potential but did not strive. But the third child consistently showed results that exceeded his innate potential.
Lee Cheonsang now realized it. No matter what the third child showed him from now on, he would never be disappointed in him.
He was no longer someone to merely observe. He had become a master, one he could work alongside, like the Nine Great Demonic Lords of the council of elders.
*Shhh.*
Lee Cheonsang lowered his hand.
At the same time, the giant lotus, the monster, and the bloody marsh all vanished.
He shook his head.
“Still, I must wait and see.”
Beneath the heavens, the one and only Heavenly Demon who trifled with the principles of all creation.
In his ascent to this realm, his predictions had never once been wrong. But he trusted and followed his own convictions, honed over all this time, more than his abilities.
To see with his own eyes and judge.
He separated his growing power from his innate intuition. Though there was no need, this was what Lee Cheonsang did.
The reason being.
“Because no one knows whether this demon will return alive or be buried and forgotten by the world.”
Because one can predict, but one cannot prophesize.
Lee Cheonsang smiled. It was a smile of inscrutable meaning.
“Can you return alive?”
* * *
As the Seven Nights Saber cut sharply and swiftly through the air, it created the illusion of the very atmosphere being split in two.
*Claaaaang!*
The sound of saber and sword clashing swept through the area.
Jong Risan shouted.
“Fall back!”
*Fwoosh!*
In an instant, the demonic cultivators retreated several dozen feet.
The swordsmen of the Sword Palace were no different.
“Commander! We must help the Vice Lord…”
“Get back. And don't use your sword wind to push back the poison mist.”
“What?!”
The Commander of the Willow Sword Corps stabbed her sword into the ground.
*Fshhhhhh!*
The sword wind from the swordsmen, which had been constantly pushing back the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder from the inner courtyard, vanished as if washed away.
Panic spread across the swordsmen's faces. Due to the shockwaves from the battle in front of the inner courtyard, the Soul-Severing Powder's mist was continuously pouring in.
“Commander!”
Mere exposure to the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder would not cause harm. But the moment one was wounded, the poison would enter the body through the cut.
Then it would be over. Even if they didn't die immediately, they would surely be incapacitated by the potent poison.
The Commander of the Willow Sword Corps, Jang Guk, spoke coldly.
“If we push the poison back, it will return to the Vice Lord. Should he be wounded, the tide of battle will turn against us in an instant.”
“But the Vice Lord would never…”
“He won't be defeated. But his opponent is formidable.”
Jang Guk's gaze darkened.
“Now that they have pushed this far, this battle will be decided by the duel between the Vice Lord and the Demonic Cult's inspector.”
“……”
“Do not act rashly. Trust in the Vice Lord.”
A look of determination appeared on the swordsmen's faces.
That's right. Vice Lord Mok Gang-in was a sword master who ranked among the top three in the Sword Palace. He was weaker than the Palace Lord, but he was a natural-born swordsman who had comprehended the principles of the sword even more deeply.
The swordsmen of the Willow Sword Corps, and those of the Treasured Sword Corps waiting far behind them, all corrected their stances.
A swordsman of the Sword Palace is invincible. That belief must not be shaken.
The Giant Whale House, on the other hand, was different.
“Open an escape route. Prepare to flee in case of an unforeseen event.”
The Sea King Guard's eyes wavered.
“My lord.”
The Sea King Guard, who gave absolute obedience to their lord's commands, asked again in confusion. They knew how loyal and serious Jong Risan usually was.
Jong Risan shook his head.
“If it were up to me, I too would fight to the death. But we have a greater cause.”
The Sea King Guard did not ask what that cause was. They realized that their lord, Jong Risan, was not at ease either.
Indeed, Jong Risan's fists were trembling slightly.
‘You must win.’
Jong Risan gritted his teeth, unnoticed by anyone.
‘Don't make us cowards.’
He recalled Seo Ryang's words.
- The combination of Immortal's Ruin and the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Powder is a death trap for anyone who hasn't reached the realm of the Ultimate Demon. To die in a place like this is a dog's death.
- ……
- I don't know what might happen, but if I fall there, withdraw your forces without hesitation.
- I can't do that.
- You must. The reason is that the Giant Whale House is not here on a mission from the Divine Cult, but because of my personal request.
- Mission or request, I can't turn tail and run when I know a fellow demonic practitioner is in danger.
- You have to turn tail. That's the only way you'll get a chance to strike back at them later.
- ……
- Of course, I won't fall. I'm not foolish enough to start a fight I can't win. Still, please promise me.
Jong Risan had promised. Not as Jong Risan the individual, but as the Lord of the Giant Whale House, a pillar of the demonic martial world.
That was why he wished it all the more. For Seo Ryang to win.
He did not want to endure the wait for vengeance, a time that would surely be more humiliating than death and longer than eternity.
“……You must win.”
Jong Risan's anxious murmur was drowned out by a tremendous roar.
*Kwarreureung!*
The deafening roar that shook the eardrums was far more threatening than the scattering shockwaves.
Mok Gang-in gritted his teeth.
“You bastard!”
“What? Weren't you just itching for a fight a moment ago!”
*Swish!*
A sharp saber strike sliced off Mok Gang-in's sleeve.
Seo Ryang, exuding a fiery demonic energy, raised his eyes, which were smeared with terrifying demonic energy and chilling killing intent, and swung his twin sabers.
“Stop flinching and shuffling back! Come at me for real!”
He struck off the left sleeve with the Seven Nights Saber, then brought the Dragon Scale Saber down from above.
*Kugugung!*
Veins bulged on Mok Gang-in's neck.
The heavy saber, weighing dozens of pounds, was imbued with immense demonic energy. His longsword, which blocked the Dragon Scale Saber, trembled as if about to break under the merciless blow.
‘He's strong.’
It was a renewed realization, but his strength was truly immense. It wasn't power drawn from deep internal energy; his innate physical strength was simply overwhelming.
Moreover, the level of his saber arts, which exquisitely controlled that power, was incredibly high. It looked simple at a glance, but it contained profound martial principles, making it difficult to parry.
‘On top of that, this bastard…’
*Pang! Pang! Pang!*
Mok Gang-in parried the relentless onslaught.
In this close-quarters battle where even a split second was precious, he could see the look in Seo Ryang's eyes.
‘He's not thinking about anything else.’
Like a flame. And like lightning.
His opponent's eyes, deeply stained with demonic energy, were smeared with nothing but the will to destroy. No matter the consequences, only the killing intent to annihilate the enemy before him flickered within them.
A strange bitterness washed over Mok Gang-in, and he closed his eyes.
*Claaaaang!*
A sudden surge of repulsive force. Seo Ryang was thrown back as if repelled.
“Good.”
*Flash!*
When Mok Gang-in opened his eyes again, a terrifying ghostly energy was swirling within them.
“You may have set the stage, but I will be the one to win this gamble.”
“Try me, you son of a bitch!”
*Booooom!*
Seo Ryang charged again, emitting an even more intense demonic energy than before.
It was impossible to think he was someone whose meridians had been damaged by a large amount of poison. The demonic energy, ignited by explosive emotions, was rapidly healing his body.
Mok Gang-in nodded.
*Kwaaaang!*
“Kuh!”
Seo Ryang staggered back. He had barely blocked the attack by crossing the Dragon Scale Saber and the Seven Nights Saber, but both his arms were trembling faintly.
*Chiiiiik.*
A turquoise ghostly energy rose from the longsword.
That bizarre aura completely enveloped the blade.
*Jjeojeojeojeong!*
A strange light shone in Seo Ryang's eyes.
The turquoise ghostly energy still covered the blade, but he realized that the blade itself, its form hidden by the light, had shattered into hundreds of pieces.
A sword of light, a sword of ghostly energy.
Mok Gang-in's ultimate technique, the Ghost Eye Light Sword, had finally been revealed.
“First Sword, Light's Formation.”
*Wuuuuuung!*
The body of the light-sword created ripples as it spread through the air.
In that instant, fear fell over everyone's faces. The moment he created that light-sword, they were seized by the feeling that no one could possibly defeat Mok Gang-in.
“Annihilation.”
*Flash!*
A colossal, turquoise sword light vertically split Seo Ryang in two.