Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Two Hells
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“Spirit devouring? What nonsense are you spouting?”
The North Sea Palace Lord snorted at Yunhwi’s words.
Though he was a martial artist and not a sorcerer, that didn’t mean he knew nothing about sorcery.
In fact, he could confidently say he knew more deeply than most sorcerers.
After all, the North Sea Ice Palace had originated from the unique culture and secret arts of the North Sea, where cold and death were constant companions.
That was precisely why the Black Bone Ghost Valley, armed with all sorts of bizarre evil spells, couldn’t escape his grasp.
So he knew what spirit devouring was.
It meant, quite literally, “eating souls.”
It was also a forbidden secret art said to steal the victim’s realm, knowledge, experience, personality—even their very sense of self—in the process.
No wonder sorcerers classified it as even more vicious than human sacrifice or yin-yang supplementation.
And Yunhwi was going to do it?
The Ghost King couldn’t possibly be ignorant of that.
“Do you think I don’t know that devouring a soul means your own soul becomes equally corrupted? Unless you’re completely lost in the Left Path of Ghosts, you—Little Heavenly Demon, who always trained your spirit so purely—dare to attempt spirit devouring? No, even more than that, do you think you’ll survive unscathed after swallowing my soul, which has reached the pinnacle of sanctity…!”
Unless his soul burst from overfeeding, that is.
But Yunhwi’s response was utterly convincing.
“Demonic power overwhelms everything. It forces submission, subjugates, and eventually dominates. Is there any law saying it can’t handle the power of spirit devouring? No, shouldn’t true demonic nature mean it can dye even that in its own color?”
For a moment, the North Sea Palace Lord felt a chill run down his spine.
Yunhwi’s sneer continued.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time. What’s the Divine Cult’s greatest problem—that it must endure the measles of civil war every time the throne changes? It’s division. Too much division.”
The sneer turned into a cold voice.
“For example, though we claim to serve the Great Demon God, the Nine Great Sects were really interest groups worshiping different gods. Add the Seventy-Two Minor Sects, and the factions splinter even more. Trying to forcibly bind them into one framework inevitably causes chaos every time.”
The cold voice shifted again, becoming utterly emotionless.
“So I changed my thinking. I decided to unify the Divine Cult under a single will.”
Strangely, the North Sea Palace Lord could no longer read any thoughts or intentions from Yunhwi.
It was hard to believe this was the same Yunhwi who had just been hurling mockery and derision.
“What exactly do you plan to do?”
“Unification.”
“!”
“I will gather the nine sects and seventy-two minor sects under the banner of the Dark Demon Divine Transformation Sect and centralize all power structures under one cult leader. Only one true demonic power shall prevail.”
The two pupils hidden beneath Yunhwi’s lion mask blazed like fire.
“To achieve that, I must seize all the power, authority, and qualifications of your eight sects.”
“…….”
“That’s why I declare that I will take everything from you—Gu Rakseong, Palace Lord of the Demonic North Sea Sect. By annexing your palace lord secret arts, the Song Emperor Descent Invocation and Crimson Lotus Hell Technique, and stealing your palace lord divine treasures, the Millennium Ice Crystal and North Underworld Demonic Blade, I can usurp the position of Palace Lord of the Demonic North Sea Sect.”
“!!!”
In that instant, the North Sea Palace Lord was completely overwhelmed by the grandeur of Yunhwi’s ambition.
‘Usurp the palace lord’s seat…?’
It was a thought he had never even considered.
No, he had thought of it occasionally.
He too had sometimes wondered what it would be like to be part of a higher sect like the Dark Demon Divine Transformation Sect or Sword Demon Supreme Sect.
But in the Divine Cult’s history spanning over a thousand years, while sects had conquered others, no one had ever attempted true unification.
Even when they had, it failed quickly.
All Nine Great Sects had histories of persecution.
Far from weakening them, this had forged unbreakable internal solidarity, emphasizing tradition and doctrine, making it impossible for them to easily merge with outsiders.
Thus, the Nine Great Sects formed a loose alliance within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult framework, with an unspoken rule against infringing on each other’s territories.
Yet Yunhwi was declaring he would shatter that taboo and unify everything under the Dark Demon Divine Transformation Sect’s doctrine.
If an ordinary follower shouted that, it would be dismissed as lunacy—but the problem was that the one saying it was Yunhwi.
If he truly devoured him and took the palace lord secret arts and treasures, who could deny his claim to the throne?
Yunhwi just might pull it off.
Hadn’t he already sat in the lesser cult leader’s seat without mastering the cult leader’s secret arts, even earning the title Little Heavenly Demon?
If Yunhwi truly became the North Sea Palace Lord, everything could fall apart.
The Demonic North Sea Sect would fracture, of course… and the Dark Demon Divine Transformation Sect could subjugate it, achieving complete unification.
‘Our sect’s history, spanning thousands of years… the North Sea Ice Palace’s legacy, ending in my generation.’
The realization made his heart sink.
‘…Cult Leader, what kind of monster have you created?’
For someone who had spent his life chasing the cult leader’s throne—even reaching out to factions for it—this was an unimaginable breach.
The North Sea Palace Lord had to admit it.
From the start, Yunhwi was on a different level altogether…
“Training in the Heavenly Demon Tiger Heart Technique convinced me. Attempting spirit devouring alone would corrupt the soul. But with the Heavenly Demon Tiger Heart Technique, there’s no need to worry.”
Yunhwi took another step forward.
His fourth step.
Though clearly much smaller than the North Sea Palace Lord, somehow the lord felt as if he himself had shrunk.
Thud!
“Become nourishment for the new Divine Cult, Gu Rakseong. That will be the final sacrifice a traitor like you can offer.”
“…So trapping me here was all a ploy to devour me after all?”
“Indeed.”
“Then this stage was set for us to devour each other. In that case, there’s no more need for talk!!”
Yunhwi unleashed the Evil Ghost Hell Formation.
The North Sea Palace Lord invoked the Crimson Lotus Hell Technique.
Two hells collided.
The North Sea Palace Lord raised his massive right arm high and slammed it down where Yunhwi stood.
KABOOM!!
The shockwave cratered the ground.
The ravine crumbled in a roar. Amid the cascade of earth and stone, the North Sea Palace Lord tilted his head upward.
Yunhwi had already dodged the attack and was rising into the sky.
“You said you’d devour our sect? But this seat will do otherwise! I’ll exterminate every last one of you Dark Demon Divine Transformation Sect vermin, who regenerate like cockroaches no matter how many times you’re killed!”
A blizzard howled, birthing hundreds of ice spikes that rained down.
Each one was as hard and fast as it needed to pierce average weapons.
Shhh!
Yunhwi fully unfurled his dread wind banner.
“We’re not persistent like cockroaches. We’re desperate.”
He swung the Black Dragon Flag through the air, channeling its power.
“You know well that this Saha world is harsher than any hell, yet because of family, kin, and friends! Do you even understand the voices of those who cling to life by any means?!”
The Evil Ghost Battle Cloak’s ghost masks glowed blue.
The Purple Jade Yao’s purple radiance flickered ethereally.
Ghostly and demonic energies mingled with the gale, igniting into flames.
Crimson Dragon Qi Technique
Dread Wind Dance Hybrid Skill
Flame Dragon Tornado
A flame dragon emerged, writhing massively and lashing its tail.
In one strike, the ice spikes shattered or melted entirely.
Rumble—
“Don’t judge our voices lightly! Wraith from the North Sea!”
“Fine. If you’re that desperate, squirm even harder for one more round.”
But the airborne ice shards soon swirled in the wind, following Yunhwi.
Crack!
Some shards fused, growing larger; others scattered into the blizzard, adding centrifugal force.
Thus, one hundred eight ice hailstones were born.
Song Emperor Descent Invocation
One Hundred Eight Crimson Lotus Blasts
Thududududu!
The hailstones fired like bullets. Some curved in arcs, targeting blind spots.
Their motion resembled a meteor shower.
“The Tang Clan Lord’s arts must have particularly impressed you.”
Yunhwi swung his fan downward; the crimson dragon coiled in midair and roared massively.
“But compared to the Tang Clan Lord’s, this is far too crude.”
Fwoosh!
The crimson dragon spewed fire.
Half the one hundred eight hailstones were destroyed.
But the Crimson Lotus Blasts that slipped through reached Yunhwi’s vicinity.
Snap!
Yunhwi folded his dread wind banner and unleashed Mara Heavenly Sword Forms.
Dozens of sword thunders flashed in an instant.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Most Crimson Lotus Blasts shattered.
But their debris mixed with the pursuing blizzard, launching another assault.
It was as if he’d been trapped in a true Crimson Lotus Hell, encased in an icy sea that relentlessly froze and shaved at the enemy.
Yunhwi fired sword thunders and sword essences in succession, cleaving the blasts.
He never exposed a single opening in the process.
He knew all too well how vicious the Heart-Piercing Ice Poison embedded in the Crimson Lotus Blasts was.
Even a momentary lapse in his qi flow would bury him under their waves, freezing him solid.
Instead, he activated Gale Wind Divine Speed, constantly closing the distance to the North Sea Palace Lord.
The closer he got, the weaker the threatening blizzard became.
Boom! Bang!
A Crimson Lotus Blast heading for his face shattered alongside sword thunders.
Yunhwi used the fragments as stepping stones, soaring swiftly through the sky.
In an instant, he reached the North Sea Palace Lord’s head.
It was as if he’d performed the immortal sages’ legendary earth-shrinking technique.
“Your crown is looking awfully bare. Heard there’s no cure for baldness?”
“Silence!!”
The North Sea Palace Lord swung his arm toward him.
Impossibly fast for his size.
But Yunhwi twisted lightly in midair, as if weightless, dodging and landing on the arm.
Then he dashed up the forearm at blinding speed.
Crimson Dragon Qi Technique
Dread Wind Dance Hybrid Skill
Gale Wind Swift Thunder
Kwangwang! Kwang!
Rumble—
With every step, Yunhwi compressed crimson dragon qi to its limit into foot strikes.
Each footprint penetrated deep into the North Sea Palace Lord’s arm, exploding.
The qi waves surged, shredding the Song Emperor Descent Invocation with extreme yin heat—its natural counter.
Thunderous roars echoed through the ice ravine.
Yellow and red flames erupted skyward repeatedly.
“What is this… Aaaargh!”
The North Sea Palace Lord’s arm exploded in places.
Cracks spread across the forearm, engulfing his upper body in moments.
He howled in agony.
His realm plummeted even faster from the injuries.
‘Even in decline, there should’ve been an unbridgeable gap between us! Why!!’
Yunhwi had just ascended to the absolute peak realm, skyrocketing his qi efficiency.
Layering the Evil Ghost Battle Cloak on top granted multiple realm boosts, enabling this performance.
Meanwhile, the North Sea Palace Lord had fallen from peak transcendent to mid absolute peak.
A gap like that wasn’t surprising, but his enlightenment hadn’t vanished.
Such a fierce battle shouldn’t have been possible.
Then, a beat late, the North Sea Palace Lord realized the reason.
‘The Heavenly Demon Tiger Heart Technique! That damned Heavenly Demon Tiger Heart Technique!!’
The pure demonic power that crushed all other demonic arts was this overwhelming.
It was the nemesis of every demonic art in the world.
Fwoosh!
The North Sea Palace Lord desperately resisted to shake it off.
He poured out more spirit power. His primal spirit core was gouged again, but he had no time to care.
An iceberg formed in the sky.
Vast enough to require hundreds of Crimson Lotus Blasts fused together.
He planned to drop it and bury Yunhwi.
But Yunhwi was already before his eyes.
Screee!
“Hidden weapons aren’t used like that.”
The North Sea Palace Lord thought Yunhwi was smiling behind the mask.
A flame dragon manifested around Yunhwi once more.
Sword thunders flashed. Sword winds howled around them, forming a tempest.
It looked as if a dragon were summoning storm winds and rains.
Rumble!
A sword thunder burrowed deep into the North Sea Palace Lord’s left eye.
Splat!
Crunch—
“Guhk!”
The shattered eyeball reflected dozens of Yunhwi’s images, like a broken mirror.
“This is how you use them.”
Yunhwi sneered and yanked the dread wind banner’s hidden string.
Dozens of storm rain needles and ice flower essence exploded inside the eye socket.
KABOOM!!
Reincarnated Demon God Temple