Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Surpassing the Limit
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The fortress of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It had now become a blood-soaked battlefield. Anyone could tell. Even those not engaged in the fighting couldn't ignore the pungent stench of blood that pierced their nostrils.
"Kuaargh!"
Tang Clan warriors, who had been throwing hidden weapons, lay scattered about, reeking of blood. The poisonous mist spread by the Heavenly Demonic Corpse, Hyeok. His hidden weapon techniques. From the sky, Cheon-hyang fired sharp, awl-shaped ice crystals.
Seol Ha-ryeong, having finished her fight, had also frozen the Tang Clan warriors solid, while Gu Yang-baek had stealthily pierced their hearts or slit their throats.
"Kuaaack!"
Amidst the screams echoing from all directions... four people were still locked in a fierce battle.
Within the Tang Clan's domain, the two Poison Iron Sword brothers easily blocked the combined attacks of Pa-sun and Un-pyo. The duo's joint assault was fiercer than that of Pa-sun and Un-pyo.
"It seems we'll have to fight separately."
"Let's do that."
In the end, Pa-sun and Un-pyo decided to split up and fight individually, and the Poison Iron Swords, underestimating their skills, allowed them to do so.
"Trying so hard, aren't you."
"Splitting up? You think that'll give you some brilliant new strategy?"
Facing their mockery, Pa-sun and Un-pyo leaped into the air in different directions.
"We'll each take one."
"Agreed."
The Poison Iron Sword brothers each took one of them, chasing after Un-pyo and Pa-sun.
Pa-sun spoke to the Poison Iron Sword who had followed him.
"If you wanted to kill us for sure, you should've had both of you take on one of us, not one each."
"Huh? Kuhahahahahaha! Isn't it a waste of time for both of us to take you guys on?"
"You'll come to regret it."
Pa-sun fought against the Poison Iron Sword, Bi-yu, with a spear technique as fast and unpredictable as an illusion.
The Poison Iron Swords were not only twins but also had the same name; they were truly madmen. A long, sharp sword. The cunning to subdue opponents by coating it with a deadly poison. Bi-yu reacted instantly even to Pa-sun's phantom spear.
Then, he launched a sharp counterattack.
*Clang!*
Bi-yu's Poison Iron Sword glinted coldly. His longsword shot towards Pa-sun with the speed and precision of a reaper's scythe. Pa-sun spun his spear with both hands, creating a tempest.
*Whoosh!*
He also used the phantom spear to dodge and block Bi-yu's attacks, cleverly mixing feints and killing blows to create confusion.
*Klang! Klang!*
However, Bi-yu's Poison Iron Sword was so sharp and fast that Pa-sun gradually began to struggle.
"Said you'd make me regret it? Is this all you've got?"
"Kugh."
The moment Bi-yu's longsword grazed past the spear, it slithered in like a snake and cut Pa-sun's arm. A cold, burning pain shot through his arm. A moment later, the longsword slashed past his thigh and flank, even grazing the back of his hand.
*Drip.*
Blood trickled from Pa-sun's body. Despite taking the antidote Mu-heun had given him, it was useless against continuous exposure. His eyes turned green. Now, a little more poison and he could die.
"Kuhahaha! You must have some resistance to poison. You're holding up pretty well despite being hit so much."
"..."
It was a desperate situation.
But Pa-sun did not give up.
'Either I hold on until Lady Ha-ryeong or Sir Yang-baek arrives, or I defeat this bastard myself... If not, there's only death. Death? No, I will kill him. I'll kill... I'll kill him...'
He sought not to give up, but to surpass his limits.
Pa-sun recalled Mu-heun's teachings. And he began to draw out the power hidden deep within him.
'Break the natural order. Break the natural order.'
From the day he named himself Pa-sun. More important than the principles of speed, change, and illusion was the significance of the Pa-sun Demonic Arts that Mu-heun had taught him.
In the end, it was about defying and destroying all natural order.
To destroy without a trace, what was needed was overwhelming martial power.
In other words, demonic energy.
The teachings learned from Pae-seon were merely to be devoured. Pa-sun's foundation was rooted in the demonic. He circulated the demonic energy through the Yongcheon, Baihui, and Laogong points that Mu-heun had unblocked for him.
Pa-sun's eyes, now filled with a tempest of demonic energy, grew darker, and the movements of his spear became faster and sharper. Something had changed. The end of the storm was followed by a powerful demonic explosion.
The Poison Iron Sword also sensed the change in Pa-sun. Just moments ago, the man had been bleeding profusely, poisoned, and on the verge of death. But what was this chilling demonic energy he now felt from him?
"Where did you suddenly get such energy...? Were you hiding your strength?"
"I will kill you."
"This bastard... His eyes have already gone mad. Has he fallen to demonic corruption?"
"You talk... too much."
Pa-sun immediately charged forward and began to swing his spear.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
A flurry of strikes.
Pa-sun swung the long iron spear at an incredible speed, as if it were a mere tree branch. The demonic energy exploding from his dantian and meridians made it possible.
Each time the tip of his spear clashed with Bi-yu's longsword, a deafening roar erupted, and demonic energy exploded.
"Wh-what is this! Aren't those who fall to demonic corruption supposed to self-destruct?"
Far from harming him, Pa-sun's demonic energy circulated through his opened acupoints, constantly replenishing itself.
Bi-yu also felt overwhelmed by the relentless attacks, like those of a madman crazed for battle.
'I'll change my stance and aim for his vital points.'
Bi-yu instantly switched from a defensive to an offensive stance and began to attack. At that moment, Pa-sun's spear cleverly pierced through Bi-yu's defense and grazed his side.
*BOOM!*
A subsequent explosion of demonic energy.
*Kuaargh!*
Bi-yu retreated with a look of surprise, and Pa-sun did not miss the opportunity.
"Pa-sun Demonic Arts. Black Dragon Tears the Heavens."
Pa-sun infused demonic energy into the spear held in both hands, causing it to spin. His spear seemed to create hundreds of tempests, and within that storm, Bi-yu felt a chilling sensation.
The moment Pa-sun thrust his spear.
Bi-yu tried to block by raising his internal energy to its peak. But what was this? The tip of Pa-sun's incoming spear began to split.
It was a single thrust, but the spear tip split into three. The central spear was blocked by Bi-yu's sword, but the two diverging points pierced through Bi-yu's thigh and left shoulder.
*Puk!*
*Puk!*
Wounded and his balance broken, Bi-yu was struck by another series of attacks from Pa-sun.
In the end, Pa-sun's spear completely shattered Bi-yu's defense and accurately pierced through his chest.
Bi-yu fell to his knees, and Pa-sun withdrew his spear, standing before him. Bi-yu looked at Pa-sun with eyes full of grief and spoke.
"So, you are a demonic being."
Pa-sun looked at the Poison Iron Sword collapsing at his feet and said.
"In the end, I killed him."
Pa-sun had achieved enlightenment by unifying the teachings of Pae-seon and Mu-heun. It was a demonic enlightenment, but its power had reached the pinnacle of the transcendent realm.
However, Pa-sun had exhausted his strength and soon collapsed right next to the dead Poison Iron Sword.
***
Not far from where Pa-sun was fighting, Un-pyo and the other Poison Iron Sword, Bi-yu, were clashing, their longsword and greatsword meeting head-on.
*Kakang!*
The fight between Un-pyo, who wielded a powerful and heavy greatsword, and the Poison Iron Sword Bi-yu, who subdued his opponent with a deadly poison on his longsword, had a somewhat rougher feel compared to Pa-sun's battle.
The sheer weight of the greatsword was heavier than the longsword, so the Poison Iron Sword fought by deflecting Un-pyo's attacks.
As elegance was added to the longsword, Bi-yu overwhelmed Un-pyo. His Poison Iron Sword flew lightly through the air, and its speed was greater than Un-pyo's heavy greatsword, leaving Un-pyo with no time to defend as he began to take hits.
To counter Bi-yu's attacks, Un-pyo swung his greatsword as powerfully and quickly as possible. However, he couldn't help but be flustered by Bi-yu's fluid swordsmanship and poison. The moment the poison touched his skin, it caused a burning pain, and Un-pyo seemed to be gradually losing his strength.
"Is this all you've got? I thought you had something up your sleeve when you split up."
"Shut your mouth!"
Un-pyo roared as he kicked off the ground, powerfully swinging his greatsword, Black Cloud.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
But the Poison Iron Sword repeatedly dodged, deflected, and dodged again. Then, he struck at Un-pyo's openings.
"The bigger the stance, the bigger the opening."
*Shhhk!*
Not too deep, but enough for the poison to seep in. The Poison Iron Sword slowly chipped away at Un-pyo's life. Because Un-pyo's movements were fast and wild, he couldn't land a deep blow, but at this rate, Un-pyo was a dead man.
The line of death.
Reaching that threshold of death, Un-pyo's consciousness began to fade. But at some point, his vision blurred, and he started fighting on instinct.
As he neared death, his very core awakened him. The primal memories etched into his body. Along with Mu-heun's teachings, he recalled his master, from whom he had learned since he was even younger.
He remembered the blade of the Blade Leaf Demon. In Un-pyo's memory, the Blade Leaf Demon's greatsword began to move as if it were alive, becoming one with him.
The state of sword and self as one, as spoken of in the martial world. The Blade Leaf Demon became one with his greatsword, controlled its demonic nature, and exuded a chillingly sharp aura.
The Absolute Blade emanating from the Blade Leaf Demon in his memory would cleave through everything in its path.
*Clang!*
Un-pyo slammed his head against the spine of Black Cloud.
*Drip.*
Blood streamed down as the strong impact seemed to split his forehead. Coming to his senses, Un-pyo wiped the blood and muttered.
"This is it."
Un-pyo had grasped the principle of the Absolute. He could feel that the energy emanating from his greatsword had changed.
"Hitting your own head with the back of your blade... Have you finally lost it?"
The Poison Iron Sword taunted Un-pyo with a smirk.
However, Un-pyo paid him no mind and simply approached the Poison Iron Sword calmly. Then, he swung his blade. Now, his attacks were more powerful and heavier, and his greatsword wielded a force as if it could split mountains.
*KWAAANG! KWAAANG! KWAAANG!*
"Wh-what is this?"
The Poison Iron Sword began to panic at Un-pyo's suddenly strengthened attacks.
Un-pyo met Bi-yu's attack head-on, swinging his massive greatsword to break through Bi-yu's defense.
*KWAAAAANG!*
The Poison Iron Sword felt a sharp blade energy, completely different from before, that was impossible to deflect. For a moment, he almost lost his grip on his sword. It wasn't particularly fast, and the magnitude of the energy itself hadn't changed, yet it felt overwhelming.
A sound like thunder erupted from Un-pyo's greatsword. He then brought it down upon Bi-yu.
*KWANG!*
Bi-yu couldn't withstand the powerful strike and retreated, but Un-pyo had already predicted his movement.
At the final moment, Un-pyo's Black Cloud shattered Bi-yu's longsword and sliced off his shoulder.
*Shhhk!*
Bi-yu's left arm flew off.
*Slice!*
And his head, spinning as it flew through the air.
Bi-yu fell to his knees. Un-pyo stood before him, exuding the dignity of a victor, while Bi-yu's severed head stared wide-eyed with a look of disbelief, as if unable to accept the situation.
***
Seol Ha-ryeong went to the location Cheon-hyang had told her about, picked up the fallen Pa-sun, and then met up with Un-pyo and Yang-baek.
"Lady Ha-ryeong! Is Pa-sun alive?"
"Yes. It seems Pa-sun killed the Poison Iron Sword. But his wounds are severe, and he fainted after completely exhausting his internal energy."
"Phew, that's a relief."
"By the way, Un-pyo, who is that beneath you?"
"It's the Poison Iron Sword, Bi-yu."
"What? Then, the one Pa-sun fought was..."
"That was the same man. They were twins. They were hiding in each other's shadows using some sort of artifact and suddenly appeared when Pa-sun and I launched our joint attack."
"Good heavens! Were they both transcendent masters?"
"They were."
"When on earth did you two get so strong?"
"...We still have a long way to go."
Seol Ha-ryeong and Gu Yang-baek couldn't hide their admiration.
Of course, they too had grown stronger at an unbelievable rate since traveling with Mu-heun, but the growth rate of these two far surpassed their own.
As they marveled at the duo's growth.
A tremendous roar that shook the very earth echoed from somewhere.
The source of the roar was the battle between Gu Pae-seon and Dang Cheong-cheon.
*CRRAAACK!*