Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth
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Dust from the shattered stones settled across the scorched valley.
"Th-This can't be."
Hwang Cheol-ung's immense wave, which he expected to swallow Mu-heun's sun and wipe out both him and the Blood Tear Valley, was instead engulfed in the explosion and evaporated the moment it made contact.
The secret units from various factions, including the Sword Demon Assassination Squad, were equally stunned by the sight.
They were seasoned warriors capable of taking on even a Transcendent Master when they combined their efforts, but the Baek Mu-heun before them seemed to be an existence beyond their reach.
All they could hope for now was that Hwang Cheol-ung, as the leader of a faction, could inflict maximum damage on Baek Mu-heun. Mutual destruction would be the best outcome, but Baek Mu-heun's relaxed expression suggested it wouldn't be easy.
However, the one most bewildered in this situation was, of course, Hwang Cheol-ung himself.
"Th-The Supreme Realm?"
"Haha, not quite yet."
"Just what kind of monster are you?"
"You can think of it as reaching the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm. By the way... if you had answered my question earlier, you would have spared yourself some pain. You're just asking for a beating."
"I-Impossible. You mean to tell me you hid your true strength even after winning the Divine Dragon Assembly? Just who the hell are you!"
"First, my question..."
"Silence!"
The so-called Pavilion Lord only wanted to talk and refused to listen.
"Kekekeke! I was right to listen to Elder Il."
"Elder Il's words..."
"Shut up. A man about to die has no need to know."
"Hah... This young brat only says what he wants to say."
Mu-heun was annoyed by how this punk, younger than him in his past life, continued to act so insolently despite being treated with respect. It seemed kids these days just couldn't shake their bad habits.
Truthfully, he had often been told he was impertinent by his master, the Heavenly Demon, but those were actions born of affection. This situation was different.
But it didn't matter. Nine out of ten people could never be fixed. Occasionally, you might find one who could be reformed, but this guy was definitely not one of them.
'No matter what he says, I have to kill him here and now.'
Unaware of Mu-heun's thoughts, Hwang Cheol-ung dipped his thumb into the Crimson Face Blood Heaven Powder he kept in his robes and brought it to his tongue. Though he had used the Crimson Face Blood Heaven Demonic Arts once already, a Transcendent Master wouldn't go berserk just from a taste.
That was why he had coated his hand with the red powder and brought it to his tongue again.
'Baek Mu-heun... He's not someone I can afford to hold back against. I have to risk everything.'
"Crimson Face Blood Heaven Demonic Arts: Berserk!"
Hwang Cheol-ung consumed his innate true energy and life force, unleashing a tremendous amount of power that erupted violently. A hazy fog of dust rose throughout the Blood Tear Valley, and a twisted, crimson energy flowed out in a wave even larger than before.
The martial prowess of the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, Hwang Cheol-ung, using the forbidden demonic art, was at the level of the Supreme Realm, albeit incomplete.
But now, having gone berserk, he had reached the complete Supreme Realm. The energy reverberating throughout the Blood Tear Valley truly evoked a dense sense of dread.
The aura he emitted was powerful enough to overwhelm even a Transcendent Master.
"..."
Certainly, Hwang Cheol-ung's internal energy now surpassed Mu-heun's. Yet, Mu-heun simply watched in silence.
"Kekekeke, now it's over."
Mu-heun no longer felt the need to show the Red Demon Pavilion Lord any courtesy.
"Certainly... in terms of internal energy alone, you're better than the Golden Fang Poison Claw."
"What? You arrogant bastard!"
Mu-heun cut Hwang Cheol-ung off and raised the Sun and Moon Sword to the sky. He then formed a sphere of purple energy at the sword's tip.
"But... when it comes to being thoughtless, you and the Golden Fang Poison Claw are one and the same."
He shot the glowing sphere from the tip of his sword into the sky.
Cheon-hyang, which had been circling the sky, moved out of the way as an endlessly bright flash illuminated the entire Blood Tear Valley.
The light that brightened the sky enveloped the Blood Tear Valley like the midday sun, then softly illuminated the night path like a full moon at midnight, before finally fading away with a faint twinkle like starlight.
"You fool. You should be mustering all your strength to face me, yet what is this nonsense?"
"Hah... You're the fool. Why can't you think straight? Does eating that red powder increase your internal energy but lower your intelligence?"
"You bastard, till the very end!"
"For the leader of a faction to be this stupid, I almost feel sorry for Ak Jin-sam. Even those hiding their presence nearby must have realized what I just shot into the sky."
The commander of the Sword Demon Assassination Squad, Mu-gyeong, knew its meaning. It was a signal flare. A signal for Mu-heun, deep within enemy territory, to summon his allies who were already prepared for battle.
And he also realized that Mu-heun was aware of their hiding places. Knowing what they had to do to survive, he prepared to act swiftly.
He was about to rise. But...
"That's enough."
Figures appeared, bypassing the Sword Demon Assassination Squad and the various secret units without being detected.
"...!"
Ninth Elder Yu So-jeong, Tenth Elder Mu-hwa, Eleventh Elder Ma Yun-chu, Twelfth Elder Baek Gun-hak, and the Pavilion Lord of Mongo, Bul-wi. All of them were masters at or above the Transcendent Realm.
The Family Head of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Gun-hak, spoke.
"My son has been through a lot. However, as his father, I can no longer stand by and watch."
Next, Eleventh Elder Ma Yun-chu continued.
"It's been a while, Lord Red Demon Pavilion. No, we saw each other yesterday, so perhaps it hasn't been that long? But to meet like this... it seems this is the end for you."
Tenth Elder Mu-hwa spoke surprisingly briefly.
"Lord Red Demon Pavilion, have you been eating and living well?"
Ninth Elder Yu So-jeong and the Pavilion Lord of Mongo, Bul-wi, merely looked down at the Red Demon Pavilion Lord in silence.
All the Elder-level figures who had visited the Heavenly Dance Family had received Mu-heun's letter and were lying in wait in the Blood Tear Valley. Of course, since the Heavenly Dance Family Head had used the Demon Sealing Paper and the Mechanism Concealment Technique to completely hide their presence, no one, including the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, had noticed them.
Not only the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, Hwang Cheol-ung, but also the Sword Demon Assassination Squad and the hidden units could not hide their astonishment.
F-Four Elders? And the Pavilion Lord of Mongo? How in the world did they know to come here?
Mu-heun chuckled at Hwang Cheol-ung's reaction.
"See? If you had just answered my questions nicely, we wouldn't have had to resort to such harsh methods. Why do you always make things difficult?"
"Th... Don't tell me you knew about the trap beforehand...? D-Did the Flame Demon betray me?"
"No, there are no traitors. It's just that my subordinate happened to overhear."
"A subordinate?"
Since it was Mu-heun's loyal subordinate, the Heavenly Fragrance Owl, that had eavesdropped, it was something Hwang Cheol-ung could never have figured out even if he died and came back to life. But for Hwang Cheol-ung, that wasn't the important thing right now.
An endless sense of despair must have washed over him, so he should have surrendered... no, he definitely should have surrendered, but...?
No matter how much Hwang Cheol-ung used the Crimson Face Blood Heaven Demonic Arts to wield the power of the Supreme Realm, it wasn't a state he could maintain perfectly. Besides, there were six Transcendent Masters here, including Baek Mu-heun.
But Hwang Cheol-ung did not bow his head in despair. Instead, he laughed.
"Kekekekekek."
The odds were overwhelmingly against him; it should have been clear, yet something was strange. However, Mu-heun quickly realized the reason.
'The berserk state caused by the forbidden demonic art has heightened Hwang Cheol-ung's emotions, and that twisted sense of elation is what's making him laugh.'
It was truly a foolish act with an obvious outcome. How could the judgment of a man called the leader of a faction become so clouded?
"Kuhahahahaha! This is amusing."
"Haha, you find it amusing?"
"Yes! Let's see this through to the very end and find out who wins!"
Hwang Cheol-ung, seized by madness, shouted, and the sound of his laughter echoed throughout the Blood Tear Valley.
Mu-heun watched Hwang Cheol-ung's final, desperate struggle and thought.
'If we fight like this, as long as we don't clash head-on, my side will win. But I must also consider the possibility of someone getting hurt.'
Mu-heun smiled bitterly again.
'It's just as I expected after all. I thought it might be overkill, but it was worth calling them. Besides, the Red Demon Pavilion Lord himself must know what their presence signifies.'
Just as Hwang Cheol-ung was ferociously unleashing his energy, a voice cut through the air from a distance.
"That end. Let's see it with us as well."
It was a calm application of internal energy that even Hwang Cheol-ung's extremely sharpened senses couldn't detect. They had internal energy, but it was at a level that defied detection.
Traceless footsteps and a speed that defied perception hinted at the level of the two individuals.
"Wh... Why are you people..."
A flustered Hwang Cheol-ung ended up stuttering.
The two figures walking leisurely from the edge of the Blood Tear Valley were clearly top-tier masters of the Divine Cult.
The Palace Lord of Law, Cheon Ji-gyeong, and the Palace Lord of Killing, Cho Seon-neung.
"We said, let's see that end with us."
Powerhouses ranked within the top ten of the Cult. Along the path they walked lay the fallen main forces of the Sword Demon Assassination Squad and the various secret units.
Among them, the Palace Lord of Law, Cheon Ji-gyeong, looked at Hwang Cheol-ung and spoke.
"To send such pathetic whelps to capture the Fourth Young Master of the Heavenly Dance Family, the Seventeenth Divine Dragon... Do you have a death wish?"
The Palace Lord of Law Cheon Ji-gyeong's Golden Primate Art was reminiscent of the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal. Seventy percent of the Sword Demon Assassination Squad fell to a single punch that shone with a golden halo.
And... Cho Seon-neung also sneered at Hwang Cheol-ung and said.
"A truly shallow scheme. To think you set a trap without even realizing it had been seen through. Tsk, tsk."
Cho Seon-neung's chilling voice carried a killing intent so sharp it felt like facing a giant venomous snake, making one's skin tingle.
It felt as if they were standing in the maw of a giant Imoogi. The various units and Hwang Cheol-ung doubted their own eyes and senses. Could this truly be the killing intent of a human?
Both of them possessed skills that even Mu-heun had to admire.
Hwang Cheol-ung's fighting spirit, which had been boiling just moments ago, rapidly cooled. There was a world of difference between facing six Transcendent Masters with the power of the Supreme Realm and facing two Supreme Masters who were individually stronger than him.
Just then, a masked warrior appeared behind Cho Seon-neung and knelt on one knee.
"Subjugation complete."
"Kekeke, good work, Yang-baek."
"By your command!"
It was Gu Yang-baek, who had forfeited at the Divine Dragon Assembly.
The assassination squad of the Killing Palace had subdued all the secret units lying in wait to capture Mu-heun, and the Sword Demon Assassination Squad, whose main force had been crippled by Cheon Ji-gyeong, was taken down by the Azure Dragon Unit and the Wolryeong Unit that followed.
The Wolryeong Unit Commander, Geum-ryeong, and the Azure Dragon Unit Commander, Cheon Ga-rak, seemed to have grown quite close, as their two units joined forces to suppress the various secret units.
In that moment, when every trap except for Hwang Cheol-ung himself had been rendered useless, a welcome face that Mu-heun hadn't seen in a long time walked over.
"Kuhahahahahaha! You've fallen right into the trap!"
A man connected to the Red Demon Pavilion Lord by a long and bitter fate.
"You fool! This is why you should have lived a better life! Kuhahahaha!"
It was the leader of the Blade Leaf Valley, the Blade Leaf Demon.
The Blade Leaf Demon had rushed here from the Blade Leaf Valley after receiving Mu-heun's carrier pigeon. Seeing him, Hwang Cheol-ung's eyes widened in utter shock.
"B-Blade Leaf Demon!?"
Hwang Cheol-ung realized.
The failure of his plan in the Blade Leaf Valley, the exposure of his connection with the Sichuan Tang Clan to the Cult Leader, the defeat of all his subordinates at the Divine Dragon Assembly, and now, preparing a trap only to fall into one himself and face death.
He realized that all of this had stemmed from the Fourth Young Master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun.
"A-All of this... y-you!"
He had intended to swallow the man with a crimson wave, but instead, he had walked right into the dragon's maw. He was paying the price for gravely misjudging his opponent's caliber.
Mu-heun looked at Hwang Cheol-ung's expression and thought.
'Who does he resemble?'
He remembered.
It was the face of Ak Jin-sam before their match in the first round of the Divine Dragon Assembly. Their pale expressions were identical, just as you'd expect from a master and disciple. The only slight difference was that Hwang Cheol-ung was much stronger.