Chapter 195: Home Visit (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Home Visit (2)
A deer whose size rivaled Mount Tai. A spiritual creature with a lifespan beyond measure, and one of the strongest among the Seven Demons: the Water Demon, Nok So-pyeong.
Her mere presence was enough to shift the very density of the air.
The Greed Demon’s eyes darted around nervously. Clicking his tongue at the sight, the Sword Demon spoke up.
“What do you think you’re doing, Water Demon?”
[Paltry creature. Did I not ask you what you were doing?]
“Did you not hear the Divine Priestess’s command? We have found the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons and merely seek to capture him.”
Rumble—!
The sky shook. It was the laughter of the deer. Nok So-pyeong rolled her massive eyes to glare at the Divine Priestess.
[Since when did the Divine Priestess stand above the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons?]
“…I only seek to serve him.”
[Did Mara say as much?]
“How could a mere human know her will? She desires the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, and I simply follow.”
The atmosphere turned strange in an instant. Seo-jun caught his breath, staring up at Nok So-pyeong.
So that’s how you’re supposed to set the mood.
Looking back, the "mood" he had been trying to set until now was nothing more than the edgy tantrums of a middle schooler suffering from eighth-grade syndrome.
Just look at that giant deer. She had only changed her way of speaking slightly, yet she radiated a pressure completely different from the Nok So-pyeong he had met just a few days ago.
Seo-jun marveled at her while surreptitiously scanning for an exit.
It’s probably better to bolt now, right?
It was still impossible for him to take on two of the Seven Demons at once, and the Divine Priestess hadn’t even fully stepped in yet. Since he didn’t know how far Nok So-pyeong would actually go to help him, his best bet was to get out of there, fast.
Thump—!
Seo-jun executed his Primordial Step as quietly as possible. His figure shot forward like a beam of light, piercing straight through the encirclement of demons.
The Sword Demon reacted instantly.
“Where do you think you're going...!”
His sword moved. Simultaneously, Nok So-pyeong took a single step forward.
BOOOOOOOM────────!!
A massive hoof slammed down right where the Sword Demon had just been standing. Having narrowly dodged, the Sword Demon’s eyes flashed with fury.
“Fine! Let’s settle the hierarchy once and for all today!”
Zing—!
Dark red Astral Qi condensed thickly around the Sword Demon’s blade. A domineering aura swelled within his sword before he swung it with enough force to cleave Mount Tai itself.
RIIIIIP────────
Space itself seemed to split along the path of the sword. Nok So-pyeong responded simply.
Whoosh—!
She shrank her foreleg slightly to dodge the blade, then used the momentum of her forward lean to swing her massive horns.
WHIIIIISH────────!!
As the colossal horns tore through the air, a violent storm erupted in the vicinity. The Sword Demon leaped into the sky, riding the gale. Just as he was about to launch his next strike—
THUMP──────!!
Nok So-pyeong, having returned her foreleg to its original size, stomped the ground and charged.
It was the charge of a deer the size of a mountain. Despite her sheer mass, she wasn’t slow. On the contrary, because she was so gigantic, her stride was absurdly long.
BANG────────!!
The Sword Demon, who had raised his sword to block, was sent flying toward the horizon.
"Gah…!"
A trail of blood leaked from his lips from the devastating impact.
The Greed Demon, who had been watching for an opening, swallowed hard as he surveyed the surrounding landscape.
I’d only heard the stories, but this is no joke.
The Water Demon had only rampaged slightly, yet the entire landscape had been transformed. Two mountains had been leveled, and massive canyons in the shape of hoofprints now scarred the earth.
I wonder if she tastes good…
Just as he began salivating at the sight of the Water Demon, the Divine Priestess bit her lip hard and shouted.
“Ignore the Water Demon and pursue the sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons!”
She moved personally. With a mere gesture from the Divine Priestess, the surrounding Demonic Qi surged, blocking the fleeing Seo-jun's path.
“Ugh…!”
The moment Seo-jun noticed, a massive wall of flames erupted before him. This wasn’t ordinary fire; it was imbued with a strange, eerie energy.
However, in the end, it was still something manifested through Demonic Qi.
Seo-jun’s eyes flashed. His horns vibrated, completely scattering the flames in front of him.
Whoosh—!
Beyond the cleared flames, he saw a horde of demons rushing toward him. It seemed it was true that they had been hastily gathered from the surrounding areas, as their cultivation levels weren't particularly high.
Gape—
Three fleshy flowers bloomed on Seo-jun’s back. The countless mouths attached to them spoke in unison.
[[[Commit suicide.]]]
The moment the command of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons fell, most of the charging demons burst their own hearts and died on the spot.
However, a few remained. They were not significantly affected. Seo-jun’s eyes narrowed.
It’s not because of their realm.
There was some other power already dominating them, superseding Seo-jun’s command. They were more mindless than other demons of the same realm, yet their martial arts were superior. They were likely part of the Ten Thousand Ghost Army.
The moment Seo-jun made his guess, something erupted from the ground beneath him.
SCREEEEEEECH────────!!
It was a giant centipede. Each of its countless legs held a sword, numbering over fifty in total.
A fifty-sword style?
Honestly, it was kind of cool. However, unlike the other demonic beasts, this centipede did not obey Seo-jun’s command.
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and spread his arms wide. Instantly, the Demonic Qi of the surrounding area fell under his control.
Having surpassed the Super Peak Realm, he was now able to manipulate natural energy. To other martial artists in the Transcendent or Extreme Demon realms, this might merely be a secondary ability, but not for Seo-jun.
To him, it was his most devastating power.
Shhh────
Dozens of Qi swords materialized in the air. As Seo-jun swept his arms in a wide arc, the dozens of swords simultaneously executed a single technique.
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword 2nd Form: Sweeping a Thousand Armies.
SLASH────────!!
Dozens of sharp lines were etched into the scenery ahead. The giant centipede was sliced apart segment by segment, spraying vile fluids everywhere. The dozens of demons blocking his path were similarly reduced to minced meat.
“Tha──nks!”
The Greed Demon, who had rushed in at some point, pulled his arms inward as if hugging something invisible.
Greed God's Final Devouring.
To covet a god and eventually devour them. True to its blasphemous name, the Greed Demon’s martial art was a consumption-type Demonic Art. He ate anything without discrimination and converted it into his own power.
CRUNCH────────!!
Massive bite marks appeared in the air, as if a giant maw had just snapped shut. Seo-jun, who had just watched about half of his Qi swords get chewed up, clicked his tongue.
“Fine, you’re better than the other guy.”
This glutton was weaker than that swordsman. Even in terms of compatibility, he was manageable.
“Then eat until your stomach bursts.”
Crack—!
The horns growing from Seo-jun’s temples grew even larger. While keeping all the surrounding Demonic Qi under his absolute control, he issued a command.
“Pour down.”
Zip-zip-zip!
Countless points of light appeared in the air. Each one was a manifestation of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art. With a mere flick of Seo-jun’s finger, they all rained down on the Greed Demon simultaneously.
“Hahaha…! It’s a feast!”
The Greed Demon spread his arms wide.
Gape—!
Countless mouths sprouted all over his flesh.
Thud-thud-thud!
Countless holes were punched straight through the Greed Demon’s body. However, he chewed and swallowed an even greater number of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art strikes. As he digested the energy, new flesh rapidly sprouted to heal his wounds.
Ping—!
And that new flesh deflected the next wave of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art. He had already gained resistance through the function of the Greed God's Final Devouring.
This is ridiculous.
What kind of martial art was that? Seo-jun clicked his tongue and slightly altered the composition of the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art.
Thud-thud!
Holes began to punch through the Greed Demon’s body once again. The Greed Demon seemed slightly flustered at first, but soon grinned widely.
“This is good!”
Just then, the shadows around them began to grow. Nok So-pyeong’s massive shadow, which blanketed the ground, surged upward and took the form of twisting plants.
But the scale of this Divine Deer was on another level entirely. Dozens of giant stalks, thick as the roots of a World Tree, grew and coiled around the Greed Demon, violently slamming him into the earth.
BOOOOOOM────────!!
A massive cloud of dust plumed into the sky. Seo-jun used the wind from the impact to soar high into the air.
And then, the head of Nok So-pyeong, that giant deer, split vertically down the middle.
“Wait…?”
Seo-jun’s eyes widened. The Sword Demon’s blade had finally managed to cut Nok So-pyeong.
An immense geyser of blood, proportional to the deer’s massive size, erupted. The crimson fluid shot high into the sky before gravity pulled it back down.
Shhhhhhh────────
A red rain began to fall upon Tianshan.
“You… son of a bitch.”
A murderous aura surged from Seo-jun’s entire body. But just as he was about to charge back in, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter shook the heavens.
[Ufufufu…!]
Squirm—!
From the bloody cross-section of the severed head, a smaller deer head poked out.
The deer’s remaining horn shone brilliantly amidst the red downpour.
[Not bad for a paltry creature.]
Riiip—!
Countless tentacles erupted from the severed neck of the Divine Deer. Each tentacle was larger than a typical building. There were thousands of them.
A massive, overwhelming display of violence descended upon the Sword Demon, who suddenly looked smaller than a speck of dust.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM────────!!!
Watching the scene blankly, Seo-jun simply started clapping.
Clap, clap—
The dry sound of applause rang out.
Amazing Tianshan.
No wonder the Righteous and Evil Factions hated the Demonic Cult so much. This was nothing short of a monster war.
Wait.
Come to think of it, he felt like he could do something like that too.
Well, it would be strange if the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons couldn’t do at least that much. In a way, that was just another form of individuality.
Accepting it with an open mind, Seo-jun triggered his Primordial Step beneath his feet.
The priority right now was getting out of Tianshan.
[I cannot leave Tianshan.] Nok So-pyeong’s voice transmission reached Seo-jun's mind. [And if I help any further, it might become too dangerous even for me.]
[It’s fine. I’ve already received more than enough help.]
Nok So-pyeong chuckled.
[Nok-yo told me to tell you something.]
[Hmm?]
[“My mommy is super strong-yo~.”]
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh.
Bang—!
The Greed Demon, who had been slammed into the ground, finally burst out after devouring all the shadow plants holding him down.
The Sword Demon and the Divine Priestess had also given up on dealing with Nok So-pyeong and were now chasing after Seo-jun.
[I can’t talk much longer.]
[Understood. See you next time.]
[I will hold you to that.]
Seo-jun sent a final voice transmission while triggering his Primordial Step at maximum power.
[Then see you next time-yo!]
Behind him, Nok So-pyeong’s laughter echoed through the sky.
*
My new friends from the Demonic Cult were even more persistent than Chun-bong’s stubbornness.
If I told our Chun-bong something about sixteen times, she’d at least pretend to listen, but these guys seemed to have zero room for compromise.
“Stop right there!”
The Sword Demon’s slash came flying. Seo-jun dodged it by stepping lightly on the air and thought to himself.
The guys from the Black Lotus Union would love these people, wouldn’t they?
Drawing a rough map in his head, Seo-jun set his direction. Didn’t he happen to have an acquaintance over in the Black Lotus Union’s territory?
I should go see the North Sea Ice Palace Master’s face.
Glancing back, Seo-jun dodged the flames shot by the Divine Priestess and grinned.
“Haha…! Let’s see how far you can follow!”
He really wanted to introduce his new friends to the North Sea Ice Palace Master.