Chapter 84: Fighting the Poison Demon-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84: Fighting the Poison Demon-3
"Urgh."
Sun-woo let out a groan despite himself.
The Poison Demon's palm force contained an immense amount of poisonous qi—enough to withstand Sun-woo's highly compressed Sword Astral.
Monster of an old man.
Sun-woo felt his irritation rising.
How could someone who looked like a walking corpse, with skin sloughing off from his own poison, be this powerful?
Sun-woo deflected the Poison Demon's Black Hand and swung his sword again.
Clang!
Clang!
But his sword was blocked all too easily, and he began to be pushed back instead.
"Hahahaha! Is this all you've got?"
The Poison Demon burst out laughing, seemingly delighted.
Sun-woo felt a sense of bewilderment.
While he was under immense pressure just trying to keep up with the exchange of blows, this old freak was actually acting relaxed.
Clang!
Clang!
Several more exchanges followed, but Sun-woo couldn't find an opening to seize the advantage.
The Poison Demon was too fast, too erratic, and too powerful.
Even though he was only using his blackened right hand, there wasn't a single gap in his defense.
A sense of despair began to creep into Sun-woo's mind.
No, the bastard is human too.
He shook his head and charged again. As long as he was human, he would die if a blade pierced him. Hadn't even the mighty Sword Emperor died by his hand?
Sun-woo swung his sword, pouring a terrifying amount of cultivation into the Sword Astral.
Clang!
However, his Sword Astral was easily stopped by the Black Hand once again.
Tsk.
Just as Sun-woo clicked his tongue and tried to deflect the hand—
Shiver.
A chilling sensation shot through his body.
Below?
Looking down, he saw the Poison Demon's left foot driving upward.
Thud!
The Poison Demon's left foot slammed directly into Sun-woo's abdomen.
"Ack!"
Sun-woo let out a pained cry as the direct hit landed. He hadn't been prepared for such a sudden attack.
The force sent him skidding backward.
"Fuck, seriously..."
Sun-woo cursed, rubbing his stomach.
"Heh heh. The Five Poison Sect is also well-versed in kicking techniques."
The Poison Demon spoke with a smile, as if finding Sun-woo's reaction amusing.
He's strong.
Sun-woo looked at the Poison Demon, a sense of dread rising within him.
He was fast—so fast that Sun-woo could barely react.
It wasn't the overwhelming, invisible speed of the molted Human-Faced Spider, but it was a speed his body simply couldn't keep up with.
Fear took hold. An old man who had lived several times longer than him possessed hand and foot movements faster than his own youthful ones.
Is this the power of one who has reached the peak of the Transcendent Realm?
He felt the vast gap between himself, who had only just entered the realm, and the monster before him.
You monster.
Sun-woo gripped his sword tightly again.
He had been naive. His opponent was the Poison Demon—a man on the verge of reaching the Profound Realm. He couldn't win through a simple exchange of blows.
I can't go on like this.
He needed a different approach.
Having made up his mind, Sun-woo arched his body back like a bow. Then, he snapped forward, launching himself like a projectile.
It was the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker.
Sun-woo shot toward the Poison Demon with the speed of an arrow.
Whoosh!
He raised his sword, aiming straight for the Poison Demon's throat. He intended to pierce it in one go.
Die, you damn geezer!
Clang!
Unfortunately, Sun-woo's wish did not come true.
The distinct sound of metal on metal rang out as the path of his sword was blocked.
What the fuck?
Sun-woo cursed under his breath and looked ahead. The Poison Demon's Black Hand was stopping his Sword Astral.
He tracked the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker with his eyes?
Sun-woo was struck with horror.
What was the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker? It was a movement technique that closed the distance in an instant with near-godly speed. To think he could catch that speed... what kind of monster was he?
"Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker... You play quite interesting tricks, child."
The smile on the Poison Demon's lips deepened.
Thud!
The Poison Demon shoved the Black Hand forward to deflect Sun-woo's sword, then struck Sun-woo's chest with his left fist.
"Ugh!"
Sun-woo couldn't even react to the lightning-fast hand movement.
Next came a kick. Sun-woo tried to raise his sword to block it, but it was useless. Before he could even lift the blade, the foot was already at chest height.
The Poison Demon fully extended his leg.
Thud!
Sun-woo was sent flying back and collapsed onto the ground.
Thump.
"Did you really think you could face me with such meager skills?"
The Poison Demon began to chuckle as he looked down at the fallen Sun-woo.
"Reaching the Transcendent Realm at such a young age is an incredible feat, but you are still far from reaching my level, brat."
It was the truth. Although Sun-woo had entered the Transcendent Realm, he was still at the early stage, having not even fully consolidated his insights.
In contrast, the Poison Demon was an absolute powerhouse who had reached the Transcendent Realm over twenty years ago. The result was, in a way, inevitable.
"It's not too late. Surrender and join the Cult. Your talent is too precious to waste like this."
He was being sincere. The more they fought, the more he felt it was a pity to kill someone with such talent. If this man joined the Demonic Cult, he would play a major role in achieving Demonic Hegemony.
"Huff... huff... Are you going to kill every last member of the Tang bloodline?" Sun-woo asked, panting heavily.
"It is His command. How could I refuse?"
The destruction of the Tang Clan was the will of the Heavenly Demon. How could he disobey? The Sichuan Tang Clan would be the signal fire announcing the Heavenly Demon's emergence, and they were merely the ones lighting it.
However, he could offer a compromise.
"I will give you other women besides the Tang girls. The Demonic Cult has countless peerless beauties. They are all beauties who rival the women of the Tang Clan. I will let you have them as you wish."
The Poison Demon began to tempt Sun-woo again. Since the boy seemed obsessed with the Tang women, offering him a mountain of other beauties would surely win him over.
"You cannot defeat me anyway. You're feeling that with your own body, aren't you? I'll even overlook your surprise attack, so give up and join the Demonic Cult. More than those mere women..."
"Hey."
Sun-woo, who had been listening quietly, cut him off.
Thuck.
He stabbed his sword into the ground and used it as a support to pull himself up.
"You talk too much."
Once on his feet, Sun-woo pointed his sword at the Poison Demon again.
"You fool! You refuse the toast only to drink the forfeit!"
The Poison Demon roared at Sun-woo's stubborn attitude. He had lowered himself several times to offer a way out, but the boy refused to listen. Irritation flared within him.
"The best part of a drinking party is the forfeit drink, old man."
Sun-woo flashed a smirk.
"And it's more fun when you don't know who's going to end up drinking it."
Sun-woo immediately began to operate the Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art to its absolute peak. His internal energy circulated, causing his blood flow to accelerate.
Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump.
His heart began to beat at a frantic pace.
As the blood volume increased and the flow accelerated, the amount of oxygen supplied to his internal organs exploded. The massive surge in blood pressure made him feel dizzy.
Fuck.
Sun-woo cursed inwardly.
He really didn't want to go this far. This technique put an incredible strain on his body after a single use, so he wanted to avoid it if possible.
But to reach the opponent before him, he had no choice. Unless he pushed his physical abilities to the limit through Awakening, he couldn't touch that old man.
As Sun-woo's body entered a forced state of Awakening, his entire skin began to turn a flushed red. It was a temporary side effect of the increased blood flow and pressure.
"It won't be like before."
Sun-woo squeezed the words out with difficulty.
Perhaps because his realm had increased, the effects of the Awakening were more pronounced, but the burden on his body seemed even greater.
His atmosphere has changed.
A hint of tension appeared on the Poison Demon's face as he watched.
It wasn't that the boy's internal energy or swordsmanship had suddenly improved. If anything had changed, it was just his skin color. And yet, an inexplicable sense of unease surrounded Sun-woo.
I shouldn't be careless.
The Poison Demon gathered poisonous qi in his hand once more. The black poison swirled around his hand, dyeing it a deep, ink-like black. Soon, the complete Black Hand was formed.
It was then.
Sun-woo arched his body back again.
It looked like the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker. The Poison Demon smirked. He had already experienced that move once. It was a decent trick, but it hadn't even managed to scratch him.
His tension began to ease slightly. A mere Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker couldn't reach him.
Come then, if you dare!
The Poison Demon waited for Sun-woo to launch himself. The moment he entered range, he would plunge his Black Hand into the boy's throat.
Pop!
At that moment, Sun-woo's body snapped forward and then simply vanished.
"Huh?"
Startled, the Poison Demon turned his head, but Sun-woo was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, a chilling sensation crept up his spine.
The Poison Demon quickly manifested his Protective Qi, but it was already too late.
Slash!
The sword raked across the Poison Demon's back.
"Argh!"
The Poison Demon grimaced at the searing pain in his back.
Dammit!
He immediately began to vent poisonous qi. The toxic mist billowed out from his body.
Pop!
The sound of breaking air echoed behind him. Sensing the poison, Sun-woo had used the Wind-Dust Step to widen the distance.
After driving Sun-woo away with his poison, the Poison Demon turned around. Sun-woo was standing about thirty feet away. He had moved that distance in a mere heartbeat.
He had avoided the poison in an instant.
The Poison Demon was horrified. He had actually lost track of the boy's movements.
It was impossible. As one's realm increased, so did their physical abilities and reaction speed. Furthermore, he was someone who had undergone Marrow Cleansing upon reaching the Mid-Transcendent Realm. There was no way he should be losing in terms of physical ability.
And yet, he had lost track of the brat's movements.
This wasn't some minor trick like the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker. There was only one thing that speed could be compared to.
".........The Transposition Technique."
That was it. The boy had reached the ultimate stage of movement techniques known as the Transposition Technique.
It made no sense. It was impossible for someone who had just reached the Transcendent Realm to achieve such a feat.
However, the burning pain in his back was proof that the impossible was, in fact, reality.
The Poison Demon stared at Sun-woo with bewildered eyes.
"I told you, it's different from before."
Meeting the Poison Demon's stunned gaze, Sun-woo smirked and spoke.
Then, he charged again.
The temporary Awakening had shifted the entire tide of the battle.
*
Pop!
The sound of breaking air rang out again as Sun-woo vanished. The Transposition Technique had been triggered once more.
The Poison Demon frantically looked around, but Sun-woo was still nowhere to be found.
Just then—
Slash!
Pshhh!
A sword wound appeared on his left shoulder, and blood began to spray. He had been cut again.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Enraged, the Poison Demon let out a monstrous roar. Where was this damn brat?
Pop!
While he was struggling to find him, the sound of breaking air echoed again.
Splatter!
This time, blood sprayed from his right thigh.
The Poison Demon was now covered in wounds. Unable to keep up with Sun-woo's movement technique, his body was being carved by numerous sword strikes.
Irritation flared within the Poison Demon. He simply couldn't catch him.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Just then, the sound of heavy breathing reached his ears.
It was to his left. The Poison Demon quickly turned his head.
There, he saw Sun-woo gasping for air. He looked as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion.
Seeing this, the Poison Demon rejoiced.
Of course. There's no way he could use a supreme technique like the Transposition Technique without a heavy price.
To use the Transposition Technique freely and without burden, one had to at least be in the Profound Realm. For someone who was only at the beginning of the Transcendent Realm to mimic such a technique, the strain on the body had to be extreme.
He had likely pushed his physical abilities to the absolute limit and used the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker to mimic the effect.
But that was over now. Looking at him, it seemed he had reached his limit.
A smile spread across the Poison Demon's lips.
*
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Sun-woo was gasping for air. No matter how much he inhaled, it wasn't enough.
In the Awakening state, his body required an enormous amount of oxygen. As a result, his breathing grew more labored with every passing second.
By combining Awakening and the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker, Sun-woo had achieved transcendent speed. But the resulting burden was now tearing through his body.
The side effects of the Awakening were bad enough, but the biggest problem was the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker. His ankles, calves, and thighs, already under immense strain, were beginning to scream.
He had managed to hold on by wrapping them in internal energy, but he had reached his limit. If he used the Bow-Body Shadow-Flicker again, his legs might literally shatter.
He couldn't use it anymore.
Gasping for air, Sun-woo slowly raised his head.
There stood the Poison Demon, covered in cuts but smiling as he watched him.
Fuck.
A curse escaped his lips. The old man had clearly realized he was exhausted.
Despite pushing himself so hard, he had failed to land a fatal blow. Aside from the large wound on the demon's back from the first strike, the rest were merely grazing cuts.
The Poison Demon hadn't been able to keep up with Sun-woo's speed, but he had used his experience to manifest Protective Qi at the right moments and vent poison to prevent follow-up attacks. His veteran intuition was on another level.
Sun-woo raised his sword again.
There was no time to complain. Time was not on his side.
He didn't know exactly how much longer the Awakening would last, but he knew one thing for certain.
He was running out of time.
Sun-woo charged at the Poison Demon and swung his sword once more.
He had to end this. Before his time ran out.