Chapter 196: Beiming Divine Art (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Beiming Divine Art (1)
Hwan Bae-ho, a member of the Namgung Clan’s Heavenly Wind Unit, was highly valued on the battlefield for his exceptional scouting skills.
By following his lead, forces could slip past enemy lines to launch surprise attacks on their main camp or strike at hidden supply convoys.
He was truly a god-sent guide!
Currently, the Righteous Faction forces were pushing north from the Yellow River, which cut through Gansu, intending to isolate the Giryeon Sect.
The Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance had declared that they would solidify their victory in the west and pierce through the enemy’s main base in one fell swoop. Thus, the elite unit tasked with ambushing the enemy's main force under the cover of night bore a heavy responsibility.
Naturally, Hwan Bae-ho’s role in lighting the way for them was equally critical.
[This way.]
Hwan Bae-ho successfully bypassed the Black Lotus Union’s perimeter, guiding the elite unit right to the edge of the enemy’s main camp.
The night was still young. It was the perfect opportunity to wipe out the enemy experts while their guards were down.
Hwan Bae-ho nodded. Hyeon-geuk, the Super Peak expert of the Wudang Sect leading the unit, gave the command.
[Begin.]
The martial artists unleashed their long-range techniques. Hyeon-geuk channeled his internal energy into his drawn sword, gathering his power.
Then, initiated by the swing of Hyeon-geuk’s sword, countless attacks rained down upon the Black Lotus Union’s main camp.
Kwaaaaang!
"Aaaagh!" Screams erupted amidst the massive explosions. Hyeon-geuk clenched his fist.
"It worked! Sweep them all away at once!"
Hyeon-geuk took the lead. Sword drawn, he dashed forward as if flying, charging straight into the Black Lotus Union’s encampment.
"What...?"
However, what greeted him were rows of scarecrows. Talismans were plastered to their heads. Instantly realizing the situation, Hyeon-geuk shouted.
"It—it’s a trap...! Everyone, fall back!"
But he was a step too late. The Giryeon Sect’s formation activated.
[You fools! You didn't stray a single step from Strategist Sa-ma’s predictions!]
As voices echoed from all directions, the qi in the area began to fluctuate violently.
[Farewell.]
Wooooooong!
Hyeon-geuk’s face turned pale. The force that had penetrated the Black Lotus Union’s camp was their elite unit. Losing them all at once would be an unbearable disaster.
"I will break through!"
Hyeon-geuk prepared to unleash the Taiji Wisdom Sword. Simultaneously, a massive explosion shook the earth.
Kwaaaaang!
The Giryeon Sect’s formation shattered. Hyeon-geuk, who hadn't actually done anything yet, looked around with dazed eyes.
In that brief moment, the forest had been devastated. The martial artists of the Black Lotus Union, who had been lying in ambush to surround them, were now scattering in terror.
"What in the...?"
Kwaaaaang!
This time, he saw it. As a man swung his hand, the Black Lotus Union’s warriors were swept away in an instant.
"Aaaagh...!"
"Wh-why is the Demonic Cult here...!"
Three demons chasing the man unleashed their respective attacks.
The strikes were clearly aimed at him, but since they missed, it was only natural that the nearby Black Lotus Union forces were caught in the crossfire.
Amidst the chaos, Hyeon-geuk slipped back and whispered desperately.
"Hwan Bae-ho! Where is Hwan Bae-ho!"
"I am here."
"We retreat immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
The Righteous Faction’s elite unit retreated naturally, fading away as if nothing had happened.
Hwan Bae-ho, standing at the very front, glanced back for a moment.
Young Master?
But the figure there was a Great Archdemon of the Demonic Cult. To make matters worse, three Extreme Demon-level monsters were running rampant.
What a blasphemous thought.
Shaking his head to clear it, Hwan Bae-ho continued to lead the way.
Regardless, the mission was a success.
* * *
It wasn't particularly surprising, but the Divine Priestess was stronger than expected. He had thought her position was merely symbolic, but she pressured Seo-jun using strange sorcery rather than conventional martial arts.
"How far do you intend to run? It is not too late, so come quietly!"
At the Divine Priestess’s gesture, flames erupted from all directions.
As a descendant of Mara’s divine blood, her Upper Dantian was abnormally developed. Naturally, she was proficient in all sorts of sorcery, and thanks to her divine lineage, her talent was exceptional.
Because she had been in close contact with the Sacred Fire, the holy flame of the Demonic Cult, her sorcery was imbued with it, making her even more unique.
Not that Seo-jun cared.
"You guys are the ones who keep chasing... Whoops."
Swish! The Sword Demon’s blade grazed the tip of his nose. Seo-jun dodged by arching his back, then kicked off the air to soar upward.
Woooong!
The rings of the Five Energies Returning to the Origin surrounding him automatically fired the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art toward the Sword Demon, acting without Seo-jun’s conscious effort.
Saaaaaaak!
The Sword Demon clicked his tongue and drew a line through the air with a sword-finger gesture.
Sssst. The severed Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art dissipated into nothingness.
"You are being troublesome."
The Sword Demon used Qi Sword Control to send his blade flying, with the Greed Demon hanging onto the hilt.
Swish! Flying in a mysterious trajectory, the Greed Demon spread his arms and legs wide.
"I’m starting to get full, though!"
"Shut up and focus on the mission."
"Damn it!"
The Greed Demon’s mouth hung wide open. Everything he had devoured until now condensed in his throat before being violently fired out.
"Bleeegh...!"
With a disgusting sound, a massive blast of energy erupted. Pwaaaaak! Horrified, Seo-jun immediately drew a circle in the air.
Krrrng!
Natural energy drew a Reverse Taiji in the air, gathering the Greed Demon’s attack into a single point. Simultaneously, he unleashed the Black Water Great Demonic Palm.
Kwaaaaang!
The Greed Demon’s own attack was redirected toward the Divine Priestess. She furrowed her brows and blocked it by conjuring the Sacred Fire.
Even in the midst of the urgency, Seo-jun looked around and smirked inwardly.
I don't know what's happening, but this is an absolute win.
He had charged into the Black Lotus Union folks because he spotted them while running away, and his Demonic Cult 'friends' had kindly taken care of them for him.
But where am I?
Seo-jun pulled out a compass to check his direction and reached a rough conclusion.
My direction got skewed. I’m near the Giryeon Mountains.
Seeing Seo-jun adjust his course and flee in the correct direction again, the Sword Demon gnashed his teeth.
"You are far too relaxed."
Pulling out a compass while being pursued? Even the Sword Demon, who was typically quite composed, couldn't suppress his irritation.
Nevertheless, there were two main reasons they couldn't immediately catch the 'Sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons.'
First, that damn movement technique was impossibly fast. Second, as expected of the Sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, his control over demonic qi was absurdly strong.
Most attacks dissipated before they even reached him, and even powerful strikes were weakened or diverted to some extent.
The Greed Demon, glancing at the Sword Demon who was swinging his sword like a madman, shouted.
"Priestess! Can't we just use lethal moves? It doesn't look like he'll die anyway!"
"Absolutely not! If he were to die, Mara would be furious!"
"Good grief...!"
Fwoosh! The Divine Priestess hindered Seo-jun—who had already moved quite a distance away—by conjuring more Sacred Fire, and shouted.
"Did you see the sun being sliced down recently?"
Having adapted to the chase to some extent, Seo-jun replied as he casually reattached his severed right leg. He was starting to feel a strange sense of inner familiarity with them.
"I saw it."
He had watched it from the front row, no less.
"It seems another divine bloodline has appeared in the Central Plains. And a very thick one at that."
"Is that impossible for your side?"
"For me to host Mara in my body, a great deal of preparation is required. Even then, the time she can remain in the Mortal Realm is very short, and her power is heavily restricted."
Is that so? Our Chun-bong just used her 'Grandpa Chance' immediately because her brother was in danger, without any of that hassle.
It seemed that, just as the Divine Priestess said, Chun-bong’s divine blood was thicker, or there was some other hidden reason.
"So, why are you suddenly telling me this? Are you getting bored?"
Seo-jun unleashed the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword with all his might. A vertical slash, a horizontal slash, and a thrust. By harmonizing the three to embody Heaven, Earth, and Man, even a simple swing carried the monumental force to split the world.
Of course, the Sword Demon sliced through it effortlessly.
Swish!
Tzzzt. Seo-jun, reattaching his newly severed right arm, unleashed the Primordial Unity Step again.
Kwaaaaang!
The scenery blurred past in an instant, and a freezing wind brushed his cheeks.
Am I nearing the North Sea?
As his realm rose, the Primordial Unity Step had indeed become impossibly fast. Not only had the output increased, but by using natural energy to clear the air resistance in his path, he achieved insane speeds.
Even so, the reason he couldn't shake off the Demonic Cult trio was simple.
They kept interfering. Plus, by using Sword Flight, the Sword Demon could maintain a speed roughly similar to Seo-jun’s, even if slightly slower.
"It is not... because I am bored!"
The Divine Priestess’s eyes flashed. The Sacred Fire in her eyes flickered, filling the entire surrounding space with holy flames.
"It means that you, as the Sprout of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, must be prepared for any potential threats."
Seo-jun scattered three flowers, spreading thousands of petals around him. Crunch! Mouths attached to each of those petals began to devour the Sacred Fire filling the area.
"That’s...!"
The Greed Demon was horrified.
"Greed God's Final Devouring! How did you copy my martial art!?"
"You showed it to me so many times, it would be weirder if I couldn't copy it."
Seo-jun smirked and spat out the absorbed Sacred Fire toward the charging Sword Demon.
Pwaaaaak!
The Sacred Fire pouring out from thousands of petals engulfed the Sword Demon. Of course, this crazy bastard simply sliced through it all as he charged forward.
"Seriously, give it a rest!"
A thrust aimed straight at his chest. Seo-jun hastily grabbed the space around him, shifting the ground and the sky.
Universe Reversal.
The Sword Demon, his vision suddenly flipped, clicked his tongue. He had ended up stabbing in the exact opposite direction of his target.
"I thought that martial art looked familiar."
Seo-jun raised an eyebrow. He had briefly slipped out of character but quickly regained his composure.
"Is it a martial art you know?"
It was an original creation, so he hadn't exactly copied it from anywhere.
"I saw it once in the past. The Cult Leader shifting the heavens and the earth."
"By Cult Leader, do you mean the Heavenly Demon?"
"Correct."
Swish!
Seo-jun, who had caught three of his severed fingers with Void Object Grasping and reattached them, scratched his chin.
"That’s interesting."
The Heavenly Demon must have had similar ideas.
Glancing around, Seo-jun spotted a magnificent city in a world dyed pure white. It was clearly the North Sea Ice Palace.
Perhaps upset that he was playing around with the Sword Demon while talking to her, the Divine Priestess shouted loudly.
"As I said before, the Cult has prepared much for you! If you return to the Cult...!"
"I think I’ve already gained plenty."
It wasn't an empty boast; the growth he had achieved during this chase alone was completely nonsensical.
Whether it was because he was using a demonic art or because his life was constantly on the line, his growth was incredibly rapid. Seo-jun was confident he could win a two-on-one fight against his past self from before the chase even began.
"I am well aware that your talent is extraordinary! So...!"
"Hold on a second."
"...What is it?"
"Let me just call one of my friends."
Instantly using the Primordial Unity Step to widen the distance between himself and the Sword Demon, Seo-jun lined up the rings of the Five Energies Returning to the Origin in a single row.
Fwoosh!
Thousands of petals fluttered around. Half of them had mouths, and the other half had eyeballs.
The moment the eyeball-covered petals fired the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art, Seo-jun unleashed the Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art gripped in both his hands.
Saaaaaaak!
One massive Heaven-Defying Sun-Moon Art and thousands of slender ones. They intertwined like the branches of a tree, passing through the five rings of the Five Energies Returning to the Origin in sequence.
Fwaaaaaaaa!
The North Sea Ice Palace. He blasted a massive hole straight into the building that appeared to be the main palace.
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell had rung, so Palace Master of the North Sea, please show yourself!