Chapter 157: Heavenly King Divine Fist, Hwangbo Gang
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157: Heavenly King Divine Fist, Hwangbo Gang
Hwangbo Gang’s fist, imbued with a lethal intent, flew toward Sun-woo.
Sun-woo tried to pull his feet back quickly, but it was already too late. The warriors of the Heavenly King Unit, dying as they were soaked in poison, had grabbed his ankles.
Sun-woo realized it then. It was already too late to dodge.
Crackle, spark!
Before he knew it, Hwangbo Gang’s fist was right in front of his eyes. Sun-woo sensed it instinctively. He sensed death.
But then, something strange happened. Hwangbo Gang’s fist, which had been flying toward him at the speed of light, suddenly felt as if it were moving in slow motion.
Sun-woo tried to move his body to avoid the punch, but it was no use. It wasn't just Hwangbo Gang who had slowed down; Sun-woo’s own body was moving just as sluggishly.
Then, Sun-woo understood. His perception speed had accelerated to a transcendental level. And he knew that this moment was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would never come again.
Sun-woo focused on the fist flying toward him. As he did, he could feel a massive, violently surging flow of power surrounding the fist.
It was staggering. Among all the forces he had personally encountered, this was one of the most alien and powerful.
A massive flow of energy, a mixture of lightning qi and internal energy—it was a sight Sun-woo had never seen before. Fear welled up inside him. If he took a direct hit from that, he might die. No, he would die.
Sun-woo began to operate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art and the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth simultaneously.
"Ugh...!"
A massive, splitting pain throbbed in his head, but he had to endure it. To control such an overwhelmingly powerful flow of energy, he had to stake everything.
Soon, all the internal energy in his dantian reached its peak and enveloped his entire body.
Wrooooooom!
BOOM!
Hwangbo Gang’s massive fist slammed into Sun-woo’s body.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Sun-woo screamed. An unbearable, overwhelming force tore through him.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
Sun-woo cursed inwardly. The power he was experiencing firsthand was even more immense than he had anticipated.
Reflecting it is impossible.
Sun-woo realized that reflecting the entire force was out of the question.
K-boom!
The single punch, carrying Hwangbo Gang’s monstrous strength, pressed down on Sun-woo’s chest with insane pressure. He was blocking the flow with the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, but he was at his limit. If he held out any longer, his heart would be pierced.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Sun-woo screamed again as the agonizing pain intensified. At this rate, he would die.
I’ll twist it.
Sun-woo immediately changed his strategy. If reflecting it was impossible, he would twist it. He began to focus all his efforts on twisting the flow of power.
There were three types of power contained in that fist. One was lightning qi, another was internal energy, and the last was the innate physical strength of the body. If he could twist them one by one, the pain crushing his chest would be relieved instantly.
"Ngh...!"
The sharp pain in his chest grew even worse. It was proof that he was out of time.
Sun-woo operated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. The first force he would twist was the lightning qi. Among the powers Hwangbo Gang possessed, the lightning qi was the most formidable. He had to eliminate this lightning qi that was spreading through his body with a paralyzing sting.
Crackle, spark!
"Ugh...!"
Sun-woo screamed inwardly. Just twisting the incredibly powerful lightning qi required a significant amount of mental strength.
Fuuuuuck!
Sshhh...
Soon, the lightning qi that had been gathered in Hwangbo Gang’s fist began to scatter with a thunderous roar. Half of the internal energy in Sun-woo's dantian vanished instantly.
Sun-woo felt a severe sense of lethargy wash over his entire body. it was a side effect of the rapid consumption of internal energy and mental strength.
However, Sun-woo quickly snapped back to his senses. There were still two more forces to deal with. Although he had neutralized the lightning qi, Hwangbo Gang’s fist was still incredibly powerful. He had to deal with that insanely surging internal energy next.
Sun-woo operated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth once more. Even though fifty percent of his internal energy was gone, he still had the other fifty percent left.
Sun-woo focused again to neutralize all the internal energy gathered in Hwangbo Gang’s fist. Soon, he began to feel the flow of internal energy touching his body. It wasn't as massive as the lightning qi, but it was still exceptionally powerful.
Hummmm, hummmm.
The internal energy vibrated with a resonant sound, asserting its presence.
I’ll get rid of you too!!
Sun-woo used the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth to twist the internal energy in Hwangbo Gang’s fist.
Sshhh.
"Gah...!"
In that moment, Sun-woo screamed internally. He felt the fatigue from the immense mental drain and the lethargy from his depleted internal energy simultaneously. His head spun, and he felt like he was going to vomit.
It was the worst. He had somehow managed to neutralize Hwangbo Gang’s internal energy, but the backlash hit his entire body. He felt like he was going to cry.
To be honest, the physical pain wasn't that great. He had managed to neutralize the lightning qi and internal energy before Hwangbo Gang’s fist could land a clean hit. However, the staggering mental fatigue was torturing him.
He wanted to just lie down and sleep right there, but he couldn't. He wanted to lie down and rest, but he couldn't. Mental agony enveloped his entire body. He was exhausted—beyond imagination.
"Fu...ck."
A curse escaped his lips. The side effects of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth were more immense than he had imagined. The Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was the greatest divine art in the world, but at the same time, it was a demonic art that gnawed away at the user's mental strength.
Sun-woo finally understood why the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth was a martial art passed down only to the Cult Leaders of the Demonic Cult. If someone unqualified were to attempt it, their mind would be eaten away, leaving them a broken shell.
Sun-woo barely managed to hold onto his consciousness. He felt another force against his chest. It was Hwangbo Gang’s innate physical strength.
"Fuck."
Another curse slipped out. After all that struggle, he still hadn't neutralized all of Hwangbo Gang’s power.
But he operated the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth once more. Hwangbo Gang was a man whose entire body was made of rock-like muscle. And his natural physical strength was second to none. Just because he lacked internal energy didn't mean he was weak. If Sun-woo didn't neutralize all of his strength, it would be just as dangerous.
Sun-woo operated the less than ten percent of internal energy he had left. It was a tiny amount, but it should be enough to twist Hwangbo Gang’s physical strength.
"Kh...!"
However, Sun-woo faced an unexpected situation. Hwangbo Gang’s physical strength was greater than expected, and Sun-woo didn't have enough internal energy to twist it all.
Damn it, nothing is going right...
If he forced the twist, not only would all his internal energy vanish, but his remaining strength would also be depleted. Sun-woo fell into a dilemma.
Should he squeeze out all his internal energy to force a twist of the strength? Or should he take the blow with his bare body and preserve his internal energy?
In the former case, he could nullify the damage, but he would have to engage in a life-or-death struggle with Hwangbo Gang without any internal energy. In the latter case, there was no guarantee he would survive taking a full-force blow with his bare body.
Hwangbo Gang, who was also a master of external martial arts, had enough strength to tear an ordinary man apart with his bare hands. A blow delivered with his soul behind it couldn't possibly be weak.
Sun-woo was caught in a dilemma. No matter which choice he made, it was incredibly dangerous.
*
Hwangbo Gang was overcome with bewilderment.
He had certainly thrown his punch at the Poison King with all his might, even using the Thunderous Light of Heaven, a secret technique of the Ten Thousand Strength Heavenly Thunder Divine Art.
The warriors of the Heavenly King Unit, who were dying from the Poison King’s toxins, had used their final breaths to grab his ankles, and the Poison King had shown an opening. He hadn't missed that brief window and had managed to land the Thunderous Light of Heaven directly on his chest.
He had thought that even if he was the Poison King, a hero of the Great War of Righteousness and Demons, he would surely meet his end.
But his expectation had been spectacularly subverted.
First, it was the lightning qi. The energy had simply scattered. As soon as his fist touched the man's body, the lightning qi enveloping his fist had completely dispersed.
Next was the internal energy. The internal energy that had been enveloping his fist along with the lightning qi had also scattered just like the lightning qi.
And finally, the physical strength. The massive physical strength he had perfected through a lifetime of training his natural power had scattered as if it were a lie.
Hwangbo Gang could only gape at this unbelievable phenomenon. It was the best technique he could perform. It was a technique he was inwardly confident could kill anyone as long as it landed a direct hit.
But it had all scattered. The lightning qi, the internal energy, and even the physical strength.
His entire body trembled. How many young men had thrown away their lives just so he could reach the Poison King? He hadn't even been able to make their lives worth the price.
He fell into despair. Now, he had neither internal energy nor lightning qi. He only had his innate physical strength. In such a state, there was no way he could defeat the Poison King.
Despair began to cloud Hwangbo Gang’s eyes.
It was then.
Thud.
The Poison King’s foot struck his abdomen. And then, it pushed him away.
Slide.
Hwangbo Gang stumbled backward.
"Huh?"
Hwangbo Gang was puzzled. It seemed like the man was trying to create distance, but he didn't feel any of the previous power in that kick. It was as if he had no internal energy.
And then, Hwangbo Gang realized. The Poison King was also completely depleted of internal energy.
The despair in his eyes began to turn into hope. If both were out of internal energy, he was at an advantage. Hadn't he trained his body as much as any master of external martial arts? He could easily tear a Poison King without internal energy to pieces.
His eyes began to glint with murderous intent. The hunting season wasn't over yet.
*
Whoosh!
Hwangbo Gang’s fist began to fly toward Sun-woo. Sun-woo quickly raised the Dragon Tail Soft Sword to block the punch.
Clang!
The sword rang, and Sun-woo stumbled backward.
Whoosh!
But Hwangbo Gang, as if determined not to let him go, began to swing his rock-like fists relentlessly.
Clang!
Clang!
Sun-woo quickly raised his sword to defend, but he was no match for the man's strength.
Thud!
Soon, Hwangbo Gang’s left fist flew toward Sun-woo’s solar plexus. Sun-woo quickly raised his sword toward his solar plexus.
Thud!
"Gah...!"
But even with the sword, it was impossible to block his physical strength. Sun-woo was struck through the sword. A groan escaped his lips involuntarily. Sun-woo instinctively hunched over from the intense pain.
"Cough, cough!"
Thud!
Then, Hwangbo Gang’s right fist struck Sun-woo’s jaw. Sun-woo, who had been hunched over, was sent flying into the air.
Whoosh!
Hwangbo Gang struck Sun-woo’s chest again while he was still in the air.
BOOM!
Sun-woo, struck in the chest, flew back and slammed into a wall. Unbearable pain washed over his entire body.
"Hahahaha! What a pathetic sight, Poison King!"
Seeing this, Hwangbo Gang burst into laughter again. He felt incredibly good right now. Everything was going exactly as he had predicted.
As expected, the Poison King was also completely depleted of internal energy. As a result, Hwangbo Gang was able to handle the great Poison King with his bare hands as if he were playing with a child.
The Poison King was a master of hidden weapons and poison arts. He was a master of the Tang Clan who, while training his body, prioritized poison arts and hidden weapons over external martial arts. There was no way such a man could be a match for Hwangbo Gang, who had trained his external martial arts to the limit based on his natural physical strength.
It was exhilarating. Laughter came naturally.
"Now I can finally appease the souls of the Heavenly King Unit," Hwangbo Gang said, sounding deeply moved.
Thump, thump.
He strode toward the wall where the Poison King was slumped. He intended to crush his skull now.
Crumble, crumble.
It was then. Sun-woo, who had been slumped against the wall, revealed himself.
"Ha... ha... fuck... ha..."
Sun-woo panted heavily and spat out a curse. His body was currently a wreck. At least five or six ribs were broken, and his body was covered in other bruises. It was as if he had been gored by a wild boar. It had become difficult even to breathe, perhaps because a broken rib fragment was poking his lung.
He's strong.
Hwangbo Gang was strong, even without internal energy. In the end, Sun-woo had chosen to exhaust all his internal energy to twist the man's strength. It was because he didn't have the confidence to take a full-force blow.
Moreover, the place the man had been aiming for was his heart. If his heart were struck by someone with such monstrous physical abilities as Hwangbo Gang, it would surely stop. He had judged that it would be more advantageous to fight without internal energy than to take that blow.
Although Hwangbo Gang was a master of external martial arts, his injuries were more severe than Sun-woo's. Besides, didn't he have a famous sword like the Dragon Tail Soft Sword? He had thought that he would surely have the advantage.
But it didn't take long for him to realize that was a mistake. Hwangbo Gang’s body had reached the level of Sword and Blade Immunity. No matter how much he swung the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, it only left small scratches and wouldn't cut properly. Furthermore, the man possessed an irrational aggressiveness, charging like a mad boar regardless of whether his wounds opened up.
Sun-woo fell into despair. It would have been nice if the Dragon Tail Soft Sword could help, but since he had no internal energy, the sword didn't even react. It didn't lengthen, nor did it flutter like a soft sword should. It simply remained in its stiff, extended form. It had become an ordinary sword.
Thump, thump.
While Sun-woo was regretting his choices, he heard Hwangbo Gang’s footsteps.
Thump, thump.
As the footsteps drew closer, the fear nestled deep inside him grew. Right now, the only thing protecting his body was a single sword. But his opponent was someone who had achieved Sword and Blade Immunity.
Sun-woo was in despair. He couldn't think of any way to win.
Thump, thump.
While Sun-woo despaired, Hwangbo Gang drew even closer. Along with that, fear began to crawl up within him.
Tremble, tremble.
His entire body began to shake.
Fuck.
Sun-woo spat out a curse. Soon, despair began to cloud his eyes.