Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Yin-Yang Twin Dragons
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Du Baek and Jin Hong clearly understood what the Painted-Skin Demon was doing.
The evil spirit was condensing energy in its head, like a massive bomb capable of blowing away the entire area. It was gathering energy as if sweeping up gunpowder.
“Is it trying to self-destruct!?”
“Baek Mu-heun, get back!”
The two of them would be fine. No matter how big an explosion the evil spirit created, they could withstand it.
But what about Baek Mu-heun?
The impending explosion was like a finishing move used by someone at the entry level of the Transcendent Realm. While it might be manageable for them, who were at the mid-level of the Transcendent Realm or higher, it was dangerous for someone at Baek Mu-heun's level.
Moreover, even if they blocked the explosion for him, there was no safe place as long as this damn barrier existed. The force of the blast would clearly travel along the barrier and rage from all sides.
In the end, it was a situation where everyone had to defend themselves with their own energy.
However, the expression Du Baek and Jin Hong saw on Mu-heun's face was detached.
“Baek Mu-heun…?”
Mu-heun didn't answer, his focus absolute as he detonated the Heavenly Demonic energy gathered in his dantian.
‘If it's cornered, it might try to self-destruct just to take me with it to the afterlife. If it self-destructs inside this barrier… no one will be able to protect me.’
But it didn't matter.
Mu-heun detonated the black dragon within his dantian, causing the energies of Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements to collide violently.
As energies of different natures met, a formidable explosion occurred. The black dragon then devoured that explosion and clashed again, creating a new one.
Because of this, the explosions were endless. The clashing of demonic energy. A chain reaction of explosions.
All of this temporarily elevated Mu-heun's realm, pushing his energy, which had reached the peak of the Profound Realm, to the level of the Transcendent Realm.
“Struggle until the very end.”
Mu-heun spoke coldly to the Painted-Skin Demon leader, who replied with a blood-soaked laugh.
“Kyahahak! This is the end!”
The Painted-Skin Demon's head began to pulsate with grotesque colors. Du Baek and Jin Hong had already raised their energy and assumed a defensive stance.
Mu-heun, too, raised his Sun and Moon Sword, drawing black ink in the air as he executed the Dark Shadow Sword, the defensive form of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon's swordsmanship.
And then.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The Painted-Skin Demon exploded.
* * *
Outside the dueling stage, the leaders of the various sects and the heads of the great families, along with the elders and rising stars, couldn't hide their astonishment.
The rising stars, in particular, were thrown into confusion.
It was already incomprehensible that the Jinju Eon Clan had gone berserk, but their target was Baek Mu-heun? Why? Moreover, the power the evil spirit possessed was nearly at the Transcendent Realm.
The self-loathing of knowing nothing. The powerlessness of being unable to do anything. They could only watch as the Eon Clan's head ascended the dueling stage.
The elders felt just as powerless.
Just then, an owl descended from the sky and gave something to the Martial Alliance Leader and the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, and the two of them entered the dueling stage as if it were nothing.
It was a continuous series of surprises. They didn't know what the white owl had done, but the two men had broken through the spatial distortion of the red wall. But what if that owl had come to them?
Would they have been able to enter the dueling stage without hesitation?
No matter how they thought about it, it was impossible. That monster was far too strong for them to face, and the demonic arts used by the evil spirits were so bizarre they wouldn't know how to counter them.
What if they entered to save this Baek Mu-heun and something went wrong? Who would be responsible for the sects and families they left behind?
However, the Martial Alliance Leader and the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable showed no hesitation.
They prioritized saving the cultist before them over their own sects and the Martial Alliance.
‘But why?’
No matter how important he might potentially become, wasn't he still a cultist? Was that important enough to abandon their own sects and the Martial Alliance?
And soon, their fears came to pass.
The martial prowess of Du Baek and Jin Hong was beyond imagination. They had overwhelmingly suppressed the evil spirit, making their initial worries seem foolish, and showed no signs of being defeated.
However, the evil spirit also had one last trump card. A powerful energy gathered, and it attempted to self-destruct.
Furthermore, that space was isolated, preventing any energy from escaping. The explosion of energy would thus reach its maximum power.
And then came the massive explosion.
There was no shockwave flowing outward, but the inside of the barrier was impossible to see with the naked eye. Countless explosions obscured the view.
‘Damn... So it ended like this.’
Even for the Martial Alliance Leader Du Baek and the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable Jin Hong, who had reached the Transcendent Realm, it was impossible to emerge unscathed from such an explosion.
In that case, what had the Orthodox Sects gained from the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly and this duel? Hadn't they suffered a tremendous loss of power and also lost the very person the Soul-Stealing Immortal said would lead them in the great war to come?
Moreover...
Baek Mu-heun. They had lost him in the very place meant to confirm his qualifications. This was clearly the work of those who sought to swallow the Central Plains.
In other words, the evil spirits themselves had proven just how immense Baek Mu-heun's influence would be in the coming war.
Paeng Mu-seon, who couldn't have been unaware of this fact, pounded his chest with his fist and said.
“Damn it! We should have been more cautious!”
Just then, the continuous explosions inside the barrier began to subside. And through the clearing smoke, figures could be seen standing.
Three figures.
One was the Martial Alliance Leader, Du Baek. Another was the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hong. And the third was the Dragon Demon Pavilion Lord from the Demonic Cult, Baek Mu-heun?!
Everyone doubted their own eyes.
Baek Mu-heun survived an explosion of that magnitude? Even if his realm was at the peak of the Profound Realm, he survived a chain reaction of explosions like that?
Just what kind of person was he?
* * *
Mu-heun realized the situation was far more serious than anyone imagined.
The explosion would hit the barrier and mix with other blasts, and if those explosions overlapped... the destructive power would be beyond imagination.
However, he could offset it.
With the divine artifact he possessed and the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon!
Mu-heun first formed a black curtain with the Dark Shadow Sword. This was to reduce the initial force of the explosion.
And naturally, as the black wall was shattered by the blast, he used the Sun and Moon Sword in his right hand and a sword seal with his left to execute the Heaven and Earth Reversal Technique.
He guided the explosion by rotating it.
In addition, he had the divine artifact he was wearing, the Yin-Yang Twin Dragon Robe, absorb the energy from the explosion.
*Fwoooosh!*
A divine artifact was truly a divine artifact. Despite the fearsome power of the explosion, enough to blow away the entire Martial Alliance branch in Wuhan, the impact he felt was not significant.
Mu-heun began to release the energy absorbed by the Yin-Yang Twin Dragon Robe and the power gathered through the Heaven and Earth Reversal Technique.
He did so after grasping the exact directions in which the explosion from the Painted-Skin Demon would distort upon hitting the demonic art barrier, releasing his energy in the precise opposite direction.
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-BOOM!*
Explosion collided with explosion, and they soon began to cancel each other out. It took some time, but the blasts started to die down at a much faster rate than if they had been left to overlap.
If he had let things be, even Jin Hong and Du Baek would have likely suffered internal injuries.
‘I can't let that happen! They are my assets!’
Mu-heun maintained his focus, continuing the cancellation process by following the flow of energy.
The hallmark of the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon was the balance of energy.
He was putting everything he had practiced with his Heavenly Demon master to use in a real battle.
*Rumble...*
The miraculous cancellation of the explosion created by Mu-heun. It finally died down completely. The other two were also able to block the entire blast without suffering major internal injuries.
Thanks to the supreme coordination orchestrated by Mu-heun, the three of them were left standing safely after the explosion ended.
However, the only ones who truly understood what had happened were Du Baek and Jin Hong, who were inside the barrier with him.
“L-Look over there! All three of them are safe!”
“Then, what about that evil spirit?”
“I can't see it anywhere, so it must have vanished without a trace!”
“Are you crazy?! You mean the three of them survived that explosion?”
“You can't believe it even after seeing it!?”
The atmosphere in the spectator seats outside the dueling stage was a crucible of excitement and chaos. Sights that were unbelievable even when seen with one's own eyes.
But one thing was clear.
The outcome was good.
The leaders of the great sects and prestigious families could only stare blankly and admit it. This man, Baek Mu-heun, was a being who far surpassed their imagination.
And look at the actions of the Martial Alliance Leader Du Baek and the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable Jin Hong. In this matter, they were men who acted without weighing the circumstances or their own interests.
In contrast, they were people who calculated every little thing, weighing profit and loss. It wasn't just in martial skill that they fell short of those two.
Unaware of the thoughts of the warriors around him, Mu-heun walked toward the red wall still enveloping the dueling stage. He then caressed the wall with the hand wrapped in the Butterfly Dream Prayer Beads.
*Ssssssk*
The barrier created by the Painted-Skin Demon with its own blood now lost its meaning and began to dissipate.
Mu-heun clasped his fist to his palm in a salute to everyone and spoke.
“It's not over yet. The disciples of the Eon Clan are likely still within the Martial Alliance's grounds. We must capture all of them.”
‘Ah.’
The leaders of the Orthodox Sects were speechless. This man, Baek Mu-heun, was already thinking of the next step even amidst such a shocking situation.
Just then, a hearty laugh echoed from the top of a pavilion.
“Khahahahaha! We've already caught them!”
With his laughter, he threw down several warriors who were beaten to a pulp.
*Thud!*
Judging by their attire, they were warriors of the Eon Clan. The owner of the hearty laugh was Ok Cheon-u, the Cloud Dragon of Kunlun, along with Gu Pae-seon and other elders. Seeing the Tutoa Unit standing beside them, it seemed they had acted together.
One elder said.
“They were watching the duel with us just a moment ago. When did they...?”
Pae-seon stroked his beard and explained.
“The moment Eon Hwa-taek stepped onto the dueling stage, the remaining remnants of the Jinju Eon Clan surrounded this place from the rooftops and walls. We simply pursued and captured them.”
Before the duel began, Pae-seon had already received a hint from Mu-heun. That the Eon Clan was suspicious, and that Eon Hwa-taek was likely up to something.
Since only warriors of the elder rank and above could watch this duel, the remaining Eon Clan members would surely surround the area and try something.
Mu-heun's prediction was spot on.
‘He's truly brilliant.’
Pae-seon stroked his beard and chuckled heartily.
* * *
After the heroes of Kunlun captured all the remaining Eon Clan remnants, the Martial Alliance Leader Du Baek quickly brought order to the chaotic scene.
“As for the details of what just transpired, we will first gather information and then hold a meeting with the representatives of each sect to inform you. We will discuss future plans then, so for now, please return to your lodgings.”
The leaders of the Orthodox Sects all obeyed Du Baek's words without complaint.
They knew it would be difficult to hold a meeting in such a chaotic situation, and that progress could only be made after interrogating the Eon Clan remnants captured by the heroes of Kunlun.
Besides, they also needed time. They needed to gather with their own sects and families to process the events that had just unfolded.
They had witnessed unbelievable events firsthand and needed to think about how to report them back to their respective headquarters.
Thus, the only ones left at the scene were the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable Jin Hong, the Martial Alliance Leader Du Baek, the Soul-Stealing Immortal Jang Ryang, the Light-Splitting Immortal Gu Pae-seon... and Mu-heun.