Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: The Butterfly Dream that Shatters Boundaries
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Mu-heun radiated a venomous fury.
*Vile demons... to wear human skin and act. And to do so as if they were truly the Jinju Eon Clan.*
They must have murdered the clan's family and servants in the most miserable way.
‘Scum.’
Then they would have devoured them, starting with their innards.
‘Worse than dogs!’
To wear their skin and act like members of the Eon Clan, they probably sucked out their brains to steal their knowledge.
‘Filthy vermin.’
That must be why they could use the Eon Clan's martial arts in the tournament.
How much pain must the martial artists of the Eon Clan have suffered? The Family Head, the elders, the rising stars, and even their families must have suffered the same fate, or been killed.
‘They deserve to be torn to shreds.’
But the creature was smiling. As if everything was going according to its plan, it laughed, drunk on its own power.
‘Idiotic bastard.’
Mu-heun was furious. He was angry at the arrogant, cruel, and heinous Ghost Spirits, but what truly angered him more... were beings like himself. Humans.
Instead of helping and protecting one another, they slander, torment, and make life miserable for each other. Is it any wonder they're manipulated by things like Ghost Spirits?
It was pathetic. And it made him angry.
Just then, the Painted-Skin Ghost answered Mu-heun.
"Why so cheerful, you ask? Of course, I'm cheerful! Once I dispose of you and earn my merit, *He* will grant me a reward! Then, I will be completely free!"
"He?"
"A lowly human dares to ask about Him. Just die quietly."
"By 'Him,' do you mean the Evil God?"
"I knew it... You must die here."
The Painted-Skin Ghost, who appeared to be the leader, approached with ferocious steps, painting the ground crimson as it came. It then unleashed a fist technique similar to the Eon Clan's, its power akin to a natural disaster.
BOOM! CRAAASH!
The demonic energy erupting from the Painted-Skin Ghost's fist formed a crimson, blood-colored gale that shot forward, and Mu-heun quickly dodged.
Then, the blood-colored gale struck the red wall made of demonic arts. But instead of passing through, the gale seemed to be absorbed, only to immediately burst out from another wall and rush toward Mu-heun.
It was spatial distortion. An attack that one couldn't afford to be complacent about just because they dodged it... An attack that would keep coming endlessly unless it was met head-on or canceled out by another attack.
Mu-heun raised his Sun and Moon Sword, condensed his energy, and unleashed it. A violet sun formed at the tip of his sword and began to neutralize the blood-colored gale.
The gale, chipped away by the powerful explosion, was stronger than he'd expected. Mu-heun decided to meet it all head-on and cancel it out.
CRASH!
CRASH!
The gale only stopped after he had countered the very last of it.
Mu-heun began to observe quietly, but meticulously.
‘The Painted-Skin Ghost wearing the body of Eon Jwa-ryang, the Family Head of the Jinju Eon Clan, is likely the leader of the Ghost Spirits gathered here.’
Judging by how it's wearing the strongest person's body and using the lives of other Painted-Skin Ghosts to execute its plan, this one must be in a position to give unconditional orders to the other Ghost Spirits.
In other words, it had to be a high-ranking officer among the Ghost Spirits, or someone of similar status.
Mu-heun examined the barrier left behind by one of the Painted-Skin Ghosts. A demonic art that could even deflect the attacks of Alliance Leader Du Baek and the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong. It was truly astonishing power, but it must have its own set of rules.
First, those with demonic energy could ignore the barrier and enter. The way the leader had brazenly walked in proved it.
Conversely, those without demonic energy could neither enter nor attack from the outside.
Mu-heun observed the aura the Painted-Skin Ghost was emitting. While the creature rambled on, he had carefully examined how its energy was leaking out.
The information he gleaned from this led to another hypothesis about the barrier. It was impossible to go from inside to outside, even with demonic energy.
Indeed, the leader-class Painted-Skin Ghost's energy raged in all directions, but none of it escaped the barrier.
The blood-colored gale, too, only re-emerged from another wall. It never passed through the barrier to the outside.
This meant those outside the barrier didn't need to worry about the Painted-Skin Ghost's attacks. Considering the barrier's properties, the best way to subdue it with minimal damage was for masters stronger than it to enter the barrier and overpower it.
The most ideal method.
Only then did Mu-heun let out a smirk and speak.
‘I have the answer.’
"Then again, asking an irredeemable evil demon about right and wrong is a contradiction in itself."
"Kyakak! You've been spouting nonsense from the start. But the fact that you're about to die remains unchanged. It's commendable that you blocked my strike, but while my power is limitless, you will eventually tire."
Mu-heun looked at the Ghost Spirit with pity in his eyes and said,
"I don't even feel it's worth talking to you anymore. Just die."
"What!?"
The Painted-Skin Ghost was enraged. It had felt Mu-heun radiating fury at it the entire time, but now he was suddenly looking at it with pity. An unbearable rage surged within it.
"How dare a mere human!"
It then raised its energy to the absolute limit. The energy was so immense and dense that the entire space enclosed by the barrier on the tournament stage was filled with the Painted-Skin Ghost's aura.
Just then, Mu-heun gave a signal to Cheon-hyang, who was circling in the sky above.
[ Now. ]
Immediately, Cheon-hyang, who had been flying camouflaged against the sky, shot down to the ground like an arrow. Its destination was right where the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong, was standing.
Screech! Screech!
Jin Hong, who had been anxiously pacing, worried about what would happen to Baek Mu-heun, was startled by the owl that landed before him.
"Wh-what is this?"
Just then, the white owl screeched and spoke to Jin Hong.
[ Plum Blossom Sword Venerable! Jin Hong! Jin Hong! Take this bead now! And get inside the tournament stage to subdue that thing! ]
"What?"
Cheon-hyang passed a bead it had been holding in its beak to Jin Hong.
It was the Butterfly Dream.
A single piece detached from the rosary.
[ If you have this, you can pass through the barrier! Hurry and help my master! ]
After saying that, Cheon-hyang immediately flew to Du Baek and delivered the same message.
[ Take this and go help my master! ]
Jin Hong and Du Baek had no time to think.
Whether the owl's words were true or not, trying to enter based on its words was a hundred times better than standing by and watching Baek Mu-heun die right before their eyes.
Fwoosh!
The two of them simultaneously shot toward the tournament stage, carrying the beads of the Butterfly Dream they had received from the white owl.
They threw themselves at the red wall that had, just moments ago, been completely impervious to their energy-infused attacks.
Just then.
Swoosh!
Jin Hong and Du Baek passed straight through the red wall and entered the tournament stage. They felt no spatial distortion, no hindering force. It was as if the red wall had never been there in the first place. They entered smoothly.
"Kehak!? H-how did they pass through the demonic art?"
The Painted-Skin Ghost couldn't hide its astonishment.
"What in the world is happening?"
Veins bulged on the Painted-Skin Ghost's head, and its eyes turned bloodshot.
A chance created by sacrificing the lives of all its subordinates just to kill Baek Mu-heun. On a stage meant to isolate only Baek Mu-heun and itself... the very people it had wanted to keep out the most had just walked in.
"This is impossible!"
The barrier had been for these two from the very beginning... If it had only been the elders of other sects or clans, it might have been manageable without resorting to such methods.
If necessary, it could have taken the rising stars hostage to restrict their movements and then self-destructed at the end to inflict cumulative damage.
However, there were opponents against whom such crude traps would not work. And there were two of them! As masters who had reached the Profound Realm, neither hostages nor self-destruction would be effective against them.
On the contrary, it was obvious that it and its subordinates would just be cut in half and killed.
‘Right, that's why I created this opportunity by sacrificing my subordinates to cast the barrier. How could they breach the barrier and enter so easily?’
They didn't even break the barrier. They just passed through it.
If they had broken the barrier, it could have bought some time by attacking the other, weaker martial artists... But from in here, no attacks, including its own, could escape the barrier.
Just then.
The Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong, unleashed the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art and severed the hands and feet of the Painted-Skin Ghost that was parasitizing Eon Jwa-ryang.
Slice!
In an instant, plum blossoms bloomed as a storm erupted. A brilliant sword wind dominated the tournament stage, and the Painted-Skin Ghost spewed blood, writhing in agony.
"Kuaaaargh!"
Next, Alliance Leader Du Baek approached the Painted-Skin Ghost and threw a punch.
Du Baek's fist landed squarely in the Painted-Skin Ghost's abdomen.
The immense pressure of the fist not only ruptured its abdomen but also shattered the spine behind it. Even then, the explosive force of the punch didn't cease, continuing to wreck the tournament grounds.
"Keoheok!"
Two masters of the Profound Realm. The Painted-Skin Ghost was utterly helpless against them.
Furthermore, the rising stars, the sect leaders, and the clan heads watching the scene were also unable to hide their astonishment.
‘They're on a different level.’
The elders had never seen a monster with such power. It was an alien and formidable force. It seemed impossible for them to subdue it without taking damage, even if they all attacked together.
But the masters of the Profound Realm were different.
Their martial prowess seemed to reach the very heavens.
"It's not for nothing that the Profound Realm is called a heaven beyond the heavens."
No one knew what trick they had used to enter the barrier they couldn't get into before.
However, once inside the tournament stage, they calmly and overwhelmingly subdued the monster with its terrifying power.
Even after that, the onslaught from Du Baek and Jin Hong did not stop. The Painted-Skin Ghost, whose power touched upon the Profound Realm, resisted desperately, but it was helpless against Jin Hong and Du Baek, its body gradually being destroyed.
Its arms were severed, its legs were cut off, and holes were repeatedly punched through its stomach. It began to regenerate its body using the unique power of a Ghost Spirit, but the rate at which its body parts were blown away was faster than its regeneration speed.
How in the world...
Mu-heun watched the Painted-Skin Ghost and said with an amused smile,
"You don't look so cheerful anymore."
"This..., right, it was you."
"You're only noticing now? Too late, you bastard."
Mu-heun had known the Painted-Skin Ghost's scheme and had taken measures in advance. He didn't know what tricks they would use, but from his experience in Okhwa-hyeon, he knew they were skilled in barrier arts.
Of course, their strength was not to be underestimated, but their most frightening aspect was their barrier arts. As long as their target was him, the one who knew the truth of the world, they would surely come for him.
If they decided to use a method to isolate him, the risk of dealing with it with his current strength alone was too great.
In that case, he had no choice but to use the two martial artists who were currently far stronger than him. Fortunately, he had a method that could penetrate any barrier or technique.
The Butterfly Dream.
The divine artifact he had discovered in the basement of Chipyeongsa. He had already confirmed that each bead of this rosary possessed the same power by using it on the Soul-Stealing Immortal's barrier.
So, all that was left was to give the beads to Du Baek and Jin Hong and entrust the fight to them.
He didn't know what they had prepared, but it would certainly not go according to their plans.
To Mu-heun, the situation was as clear as the palm of his hand, but the same was not true for the Painted-Skin Ghost.
It should have been a perfect plan, yet it failed for reasons it couldn't even comprehend. Now it and all its subordinates were facing a dog's death.
‘Damn it! Fine, in that case, I'll take you with me!’
The Painted-Skin Ghost gathered all its remaining power and began to swell its body.
As if it were about to self-destruct.