Chapter 51
Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Dao Conference (9)
As Yeom Suk gripped the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand and swung it, the intense friction of the air heated the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword red-hot, clashing against Yong Yoo's Manifestation of Fleeting Mists.
A fog that seemed to reach the heavens surged massively upon colliding with the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword, and soon the two spells began a fierce contest of strength.
'Whether because of the talismans cloaking his body or his spirit power, I couldn't grind Elder Yeom down directly.'
Yong Yoo felt a twinge of regret as he poured more power into the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists.
The ferocious mist that sliced and dissolved enemies down to the cellular level clashed savagely with the colossal wooden sword capable of pulverizing foes without a trace, their spirit powers colliding to unleash deafening roars and blinding flashes of light.
Krzzzzzzt!!
Yeom Suk added more talismans to empower the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand, and the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword slowly began parting the mist, burrowing downward.
Witnessing this, Yong Yoo condensed the mist even further, drawing out greater power from the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists to resist.
Was Yeom Suk remarkable for pushing back the divine ability-laden Manifestation of Fleeting Mists with mere enhancements to two ordinary spells? Or was Yong Yoo the prodigy for holding off the two spells of a Core Formation Realm grandmaster, amplified to their utmost by array formations?
Not only the spectators but even the elders couldn't quite discern it.
Yet, from the fact that they were displaying such equally divine might, everyone in their hearts had no choice but to root for Yong Yoo.
Yeom Suk knew this too, and when he cautiously glanced at Geum So-ryeo, he realized with crushing pain that her gaze was fixed not on him, but on Yong Yoo.
That pain instantly twisted into hatred and rage toward Yong Yoo.
The dark emotions toward this loathsome villain who had stolen the attention of the woman he loved amplified the might of Yeom Suk's spells, and in one surge, he cleaved the pillar of mist in half.
Suddenly pushed back, Yong Yoo felt crushed by an immense pressure.
"Urk...!"
Gritting his teeth fiercely and with Little Tiger's aid, he held his ground without yielding, but blood streamed from his eyes and nose as the price.
The moment he gave ground here, it would all be over in an instant.
In desperation, Yong Yoo pulled a pill from his storage pouch and swallowed it.
As the Overlord Pill from the market took effect, power surged from the vital essence in his body, and Yong Yoo drew out every last shred of spirituality from the bracelet dharma treasure, spewing forth even sharper, finer mist to clash against the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword.
Kagagagagagak!!
The mist, which had seemed to be yielding at first, now began grinding away at the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword, even pushing it back upward.
'Grind it down like this!'
'You think I'm going to lose to the likes of you! I won't disgrace myself before Master any further!'
Yeom Suk used several more talismans, allowing the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword to withstand the mist without being eroded, and once again, the two spells engaged in a deadlock.
"Grrrk...!"
Yong Yoo, who had barely held on by spiking his power with the Overlord Pill for that instant, felt blood boiling up his throat like phlegm.
'Damn...! Pill poisoning!'
Pills accumulated toxicity.
Especially a dangerous drug like the Overlord Pill—its toxicity was equally lethal. Yong Yoo, who had already used pills during the meridian refinement exam to recover his depleted vitality, now sensed the dual toxicities ravaging his body.
'Just two pills and it's this bad...!'
Any ordinary cultivator knew the risks of pill toxicity well. They'd all struggled at least once to purge the buildup from frequent pill use during training, in perilous battles, or after grave wounds.
But Yong Yoo had easily neutralized it with Do Mun-hyang's help, mainly trained using Nectar Spirit Liquor, and relied on his exceptional dao combat talent rather than external aids like pills in multiple battles.
Thus, this was his first true realization of pill toxicity's danger.
"Kuhk!"
As Yong Yoo spat up black blood, his focus wavered, and the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists lost power.
Sensing the mist's resistance weaken, Yeom Suk drove the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword forward in one thrust.
As it delved deeper into the mist, both spectators and elders thought, 'So it's no good after all?'
They'd harbored hopes for Yong Yoo given his displayed talent, but Yeom Suk was several cuts above a typical Core Formation grandmaster.
Having spat up a huge amount of blood and felt some relief in his chest, Yong Yoo calmly closed his eyes as he watched the descending Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword.
'Recall that sensation from before...'
He remembered the moment he'd gained the spirituality and truly comprehended the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists.
That sudden enlightenment, which had slipped away so vainly—he recalled it now.
Kim Yang-pyeong's heart, who walked the path of cultivation bidding farewell to precious ones; yet still yearned for affection from others and dreaded parting from loved ones; ultimately founding the High Heaven Sect, taking disciples, building a family, and siring descendants.
All the world's affairs ultimately scatter like smoke and vanish, yet Kim Yang-pyeong knew this and still believed in eternity.
In other words, the "manifestation" in Manifestation of Fleeting Mists did not symbolize worldly affairs dissipating like mist, but rather expressed the eternity he believed in amid that vanity.
Why the form of eternity as mist?
'The water cycle? It seems to evaporate and vanish like smoke, yet persists in this world, with faith it will return someday—perhaps symbolizing the world's cycles and reincarnation.'
The deeper Yong Yoo comprehended the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists, the greater power the spell unleashed.
'Then, expressing it as mist because water rises upward? Encapsulating his life transcending the mundane world to the celestial realm? Or perhaps hoping his disciples would swiftly gain enlightenment through this spell, elevate their realms, and catch up to him.'
Even if this body no longer exists in the mundane world, I shall await you eternally in the celestial realm—so perhaps it embodied his wish for juniors and descendants to pursue and ascend after him.
'That might explain why he flew into such a rage when the High Heaven Sect restricted the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists to Nascent Soul Realm disciples and above.'
Based on Kim Yang-pyeong's demeanor in the original story, Yong Yoo deepened his understanding of the spell, and soon the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists began grinding away at the Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword once more.
Eventually, having pulverized the sword's midsection entirely, the halved Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword plummeted powerlessly to the ground.
Kuuuung!!
Its tip embedded deeply into the earth due to its weight, sending massive tremors through the ground.
Yeom Suk released the hilt portion gripped by the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand, then commanded it to crush and pulverize Yong Yoo, who had expended all his Manifestation of Fleeting Mists.
Seeing this, Yong Yoo urgently pulled spirit wine from his storage pouch, downed it to rapidly restore his spirit power, and unleashed the One-Hand Jade Seal.
A colossal wooden hand and sun clashed from the skies, and just as it seemed another contest would begin—
Kraaaargh!!
Little Tiger burst forth from beneath Yong Yoo, charging straight at Yeom Suk.
Yong Yoo mounted the shield dharma treasure and sent Little Tiger forth as a shield, manipulating the Nine Sons Needles and Refined Flying Sword on the ground while focusing everything on the Manifestation of Fleeting Mists. Yeom Suk, now with some leeway, blocked Little Tiger and the treasures with clones and talismans.
Little Tiger adroitly wielded the Nine Sons Needles and Refined Flying Sword against Yeom Suk's clones, drawing ever closer, forcing Yeom Suk unable to focus on the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand.
"Raaargh!!"
Letting out a savage roar, Yong Yoo cleanly incinerated the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand. His body on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, he braced himself and chugged another bottle of spirit wine.
Only then did Yong Yoo realize his entire body was screaming in agony.
Forcing the spells had wracked his body; his eyes bled so profusely his vision was dyed crimson; blood poured endlessly from his nose.
Wiping the nosebleed roughly, Yong Yoo formed hand seals for his final resort and flew toward Yeom Suk. Sensing him approach, Yeom Suk hurled all the remaining talismans cloaking him into the air.
Dozens of spells activated simultaneously, engulfing Little Tiger and the treasures.
The waves of spells not only swallowed Little Tiger and the treasures but surged toward Yong Yoo, who seemed caught and repelled by the entwining wooden vines and tendrils.
"Urgh!"
Just as Yong Yoo was completely enveloped by Yeom Suk's spells, his right hand—the only part protruding—pointed a neatly aligned hand blade straight at Yeom Suk.
Groooowoooarrrrr!!
"...!!!"
A streak of orange lightning burst from Yong Yoo's fingertips, and Yeom Suk, struck by the unexpected thunder spirit power, clutched his abdomen in agony where the bolt had pierced through.
As Yeom Suk's mind faltered, Yong Yoo broke free from the spells, remounted Little Tiger, and flashed a triumphant smile.
The Tiger-Dragon Stormwind Harness had three abilities.
One created defensive clouds.
Another summoned offensive rainwinds.
And the last transformed the owner's spirit power into thunder spirit power, just as Little Tiger spewed lightning from its horn.
Thunder spirit power was the fiercest and most domineering of all spirit powers.
Simply generating and unleashing it rivaled the might of most spells.
It cost double the spirit power expenditure to convert, but when Yong Yoo's inherently potent single-element spirit power became thunder spirit power, its dominance was unparalleled.
"Little Tiger. Aiming's on you."
Krrrng!!!
Furious from the spells' blows, Little Tiger bellowed in response and let lightning trickle from its horn. Yong Yoo roughly shook out his left arm, pressed his palms together, and pointed his fingertips at Yeom Suk.
The green Tiger-Dragon Stormwind Harness glowed crimson as it absorbed Yong Yoo's spirit power, and the twin bolts from cultivator and spirit beast converged into a single thunderbolt thicker than a man's torso, piercing straight through Yeom Suk.
Kwaaaaaang!!!!
A deafening thunderclap resounded, and Yeom Suk—his defensive talismans all incinerated—screamed as his body tore apart.
"Gaaaaah!!!"
Had Yong Yoo used this from the Dao Debate's start, Yeom Suk would have handled it easily.
But after expending most talismans battling Yong Yoo, deploying massive tree spells spewing spirit veins, wielding the Heaven-Shaking Earth-Clasping Hand and Earth-Scorching Heaven-Splitting Sword, and using over a hundred clones by rough estimate during the debate—his spirit power was nearly depleted. It was a different story now.
"Uwaaagh!"
With a scream of fury, Yeom Suk steadied his charred body, squeezed out his remaining talismans and last dregs of spirit power for one final spell.
Yong Yoo had exhausted his power too, so Yeom Suk prioritized speed over power with his swiftest spell.
'If that hits, I'm done for.'
With no spirit power or defense left, Yong Yoo eyed the incoming spell and thought so.
But Yeom Suk's final resort flew far past Yong Yoo.
"What?!"
Yeom Suk was certain he'd aimed properly.
"Why?!"
His "proper aim" had simply been off.
Unable to believe he'd missed, Yeom Suk scanned with divine sense and spotted several unidentified bracelets dangling from the floating Nine Sons Needles.
'Array formations! They fooled my senses! When did he...?!'
In his pain at the time, Yeom Suk hadn't noticed Yong Yoo flinging the bracelet-shaped array devices from Wi A-han onto the Nine Sons Needles just before unleashing the massive thunderbolt with a shake of his left arm.
As Yeom Suk reeled in shock, the Nine Sons Needles used their last scraps of spirit power to morph into wind streams and charge at him.
Yeom Suk forcibly dodged, but the spirit-power-starved needles barely moved an inch before reverting from wind to needle form.
"...Bluff!"
Realizing the Nine Sons Needles were a feint to distract him, Yeom Suk swept his divine sense toward Yong Yoo.
At that moment, Yong Yoo rode Little Tiger to snatch the Refined Flying Sword, fallen amid Yeom Suk's spells.
Recovering his single-element spirit power embedded in the Refined Flying Sword, Yong Yoo squeezed out one final spell with it and struck Yeom Suk with the killing blow.
'Blazing Palm Seal.'
Kuung!!
The now much smaller hand-shaped fiery spirit power smacked into Yeom Suk, who finally collapsed, unable to endure.
Before fainting, the fallen Yeom Suk sent out his divine sense one last time toward Geum So-ryeo.
"...Master..."
And realizing her gaze was fixed on Yong Yoo above, pumping both fists skyward in victorious celebration—
Yeom Suk's mind plunged into deep darkness alongside his consciousness.
"Winner of the High Heaven Sect's 155th Dao Conference! Realm-Transcending Immortal! Yong Yoo!! The first in Dao Conference history! A Foundation Establishment victor! At that age! Merely 61 years old!! Ladies and gentlemen! A young hero and the birth of a new Heavenly Prodigy!!"
Cheers and applause rained down from the crowd upon the collapsed Yeom Suk, directed at Yong Yoo.