Chapter 86: Found You (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 86: Found You (1)
Jang-geuk’s presence swelled explosively.
Perhaps the Giant Spirit Pill had originally been designed to supplement the Giant Spirit Divine Art, because its efficacy far surpassed the version Seo-jun was familiar with.
However, in Seo-jun’s eyes, the sight was somewhat bizarre.
No matter how he looked at it, Jang-geuk’s Giant Spirit Divine Art was crude. It was not a martial art that should have been capable of boasting such immense power.
It was the exact opposite of the martial artists he usually encountered. Unlike those who couldn't even draw out half of their martial art's potential, this was a miracle that transcended the very limits of the technique itself.
"Interesting."
His heart raced. Though he possessed an absurd talent for Qi, he was reminded once again that there was far more in this world he didn't know than what he did.
As Seo-jun observed Jang-geuk’s Giant Spirit Divine Art, he began to gradually refine the version he had created himself.
Meanwhile, Jang-geuk briefly deliberated as he faced the two martial artists. Who should he strike first?
There was no need to overthink it. The man performing bizarre martial arts was far more troublesome than the warrior from the Hwangbo Clan. If he chose to provide support from a distance using Qi techniques, he would be incredibly difficult to deal with.
"Come then! Try and kill me!"
Jang-geuk lunged forward. Thump! The mountain vibrated as he stomped his foot. Simultaneously, his crude broad blade swung in a massive arc.
Instead of retreating, Seo-jun swung his sword to meet it.
‘The sword of Namgung is based on Weight, Hegemony, and Speed...’
He accepted what was useful from Namgung Jin-cheon’s teachings and discarded the rest.
Flowing Clouds Blue Heaven. He unleashed a technique from the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword to deflect the incoming blade, infusing a profound sense of heaviness into the fluid, parrying motion.
Boom—!
Even so, the strike was terribly heavy. He couldn't completely deflect the broad blade.
"Hup...!"
Gritting his teeth, he poured strength into both hands gripping the hilt. Simultaneously, he unleashed Plum Blossom Scattering. Plum blossoms forged of lightning bloomed, claiming the surrounding space.
Jang-geuk bared his teeth and charged straight in, ignoring the deadly blossoms.
"Hyaaah...!"
The broad blade swung over a dozen times in rapid succession. The lightning plum blossoms cut into Jang-geuk’s body, leaving deep wounds, but the man didn't even flinch.
Clang! Crash—!
Sword and broad blade collided repeatedly.
‘There’s no profound logic behind it, but he strikes exactly where he needs to.’
It was like fighting a wild beast. Seo-jun retreated step by step, then suddenly detonated the internal energy within his body.
Giant Spirit Divine Art. Linked with it, Yellow Dragon Emerges.
Nine massive dragons, imbued with the essence of Hegemony, lunged at Jang-geuk.
Jang-geuk leaped to dodge one, parried two with his broad blade, and caught another with his bare hand, swinging it around like a weapon. The remaining yellow dragons crumbled as they were swept away by the sheer force.
Instead of closing in on Seo-jun immediately, he kicked off the ground.
Swish, swish, swish! Jang-geuk moved with the feline elasticity of a tiger, darting erratically across the battlefield. Seo-jun’s eyes tracked him busily.
‘Is he planning to settle this in a single blow?’
Though he might not know the exact details, Jang-geuk seemed to have realized that Seo-jun’s internal energy was practically inexhaustible. Since a drawn-out battle absolutely favored Seo-jun, the bandit intended to seize victory with a single decisive move.
‘What the hell is that bastard Hwangbo Jun doing?’
Seo-jun glanced sideways. Hwangbo Jun was standing there blankly, just watching the fight.
‘What is wrong with that piece of shit?’
In that split second of distraction—Flash!—Jang-geuk pierced through his guard with deadly precision.
"Ssshh!"
Seo-jun squeezed out every ounce of his strength, a sharp breath hissing through his teeth.
The Giant Spirit Divine Art was, to put it kindly, a Formless Victory—meaning it was free-form because it lacked fixed patterns. To put it bluntly, it was a dogfight. Lacking the intellect to devise sophisticated techniques, the bandit relied entirely on raw instinct.
But in exchange, he had gained a beast-like intuition. Jang-geuk’s eyes widened as he lunged.
"Heup...!"
I’m going to die.
He thought he had found an opening, but it was a trap. He saw the gaping maw of a demonic beast right before him.
Inside the man who had acted so flippantly just moments ago, a hideous monster was pulling its lips back into a wicked grin.
‘What... is that?’
Time stretched out like a revolving lantern. Jang-geuk’s sharp senses pierced through Seo-jun's exterior.
That thing was a monster. It wasn't human. No one who had locked eyes with the entity lurking inside him could ever call that a human being.
A guy like that is a master of the Righteous Faction?
Of all the humans Jang-geuk had ever encountered, none were more unsettling than this one.
"Hahaha...! The Righteous Faction is finished!"
What is this crazy bastard talking about now?
Seo-jun let out a hollow laugh and swung his sword at Jang-geuk, who was frantically trying to pull back.
The Giant Spirit Divine Art he had observed from Jang-geuk until now—the beast-like intuition and the sheer weight of a single strike. The aura of a mountain lord ruling over the peaks was infused into his sword.
He was already replacing the functions of the Giant Spirit Pill with the Giant Spirit Divine Art he had created. On top of that, he dismantled and reconstructed the Green Forest’s pathetic version, weaving it all together into one perfect technique.
Thus, the Giant Spirit Divine Art became a complete whole, finally worthy of being called a true Divine Art.
Giant Spirit Divine Art (거령신공(진))
The sword, harboring immense power, soared toward the sky. Jang-geuk’s eyes flew wide.
"Ah...! This is...!"
Clang—!
However, the strike was blocked. It wasn't Jang-geuk who blocked it. A palm technique fired from a distance struck Seo-jun’s sword away.
Cold frost bloomed from the deflected blade. Seo-jun stared at the frost blankly.
Soon, three figures revealed themselves.
A man in a black robe, a woman in a white robe, and another Green Forest bandit.
"Chief! We’re saved! It’s reinforcements!"
Ignoring the shouting bandit, the man and woman spoke to each other.
"That Sa-ma fellow was right."
"Indeed. Eliminating two Super Peak masters will certainly turn the tide of the war in our favor."
Following them, the Heavenly Wind Unit and the Geumgang Unit also appeared. Though they bore various injuries, no one was missing. It seemed they hadn't clashed with any Super Peak martial artists.
Hwan Bae-ho shouted, "Young Master...! It’s a trap! The Chief was bait!"
To reliably take down a Super Peak master like the Chief, two Super Peak masters were required. The Black Lotus Union had reversed this logic, secretly sending two of their own Super Peak masters to create a three-on-two situation and eliminate the Righteous Faction’s masters.
It sounded simple, but it was absolute madness. It was a gamble where even a slight mistake could result in losing three precious Super Peak martial artists.
But it had succeeded. Realizing this, Hwan Bae-ho cried out in desperation.
"The Heavenly Wind Unit will buy time! Young Master, you must head back to the Clan first...!"
"No."
All expression vanished from Seo-jun’s face. Shaking the frost off his sword, he stared intently at the woman in the white robe.
"Heavenly Wind Unit, all of you, retreat."
"Young Master...?"
"It’s an order."
A bizarre energy gathered in Seo-jun’s eyes. The overwhelming pressure leaking from him made everyone present hesitate to speak.
Hwangbo Jun stared at Seo-jun with trembling eyes, feeling as if his breath was being cut off. While Jang-geuk and Seo-jun were fighting, Hwangbo Jun hadn't been able to take his eyes off them. What martial artist could possibly look away after seeing someone grow so visibly with every single exchange?
So that is what a true genius looks like. Just as he was lost in thought, the Black Lotus Union’s reinforcements had arrived, finally snapping him back to reality.
He hated to admit it, but the monster before him would be a vital asset to the Righteous Faction.
"For now, we should fall ba—"
"It is you, isn't it? I had a feeling."
Pitch-black energy began to leak from Seo-jun’s entire body. Hwangbo Jun’s eyes widened.
"Demonic Qi...?"
Seo-jun didn't hear him. His gaze was fixed solely on the woman in the white robe.
"Found you."
The murderous intent he had tried so hard to bury at the very bottom of his soul erupted.
Seo-jun’s pupils were dyed crimson. The killing intent crushing the space made every martial artist below the Peak Realm gasp for air.
Seo-jun exerted pressure on his own internal core as if to shatter it.
Crack— Fissures appeared on the inner core, and soon it crumbled completely.
Crunch—!
Seo-jun’s body twisted. His Essence-Qi-Spirit, its balance shattered, began to collapse. As the internal energy stored in the core exploded outward, his aura began to thrash wildly.
"Haah..."
However, he had already adapted to the Super Peak Realm. Instead of restoring the balance of his Essence-Qi-Spirit, he forcibly stitched it together just enough to keep it from falling apart.
Defying the will of the heavens, he took only his own Tao as his absolute standard.
In the martial world, this was called Heaven-Defying. It was the logic that served as the foundation for countless Demonic Arts.
Snap—!
A long horn sprouted from Seo-jun’s temple. Two more pairs of arms erupted from his torso, and the pupils of his blood-red eyes split horizontally.
Three hideous flowers bloomed behind his head. Having reached the absolute heights of a Ma-in, he had achieved another Bone-cleansing and Body-changing.
The woman’s eyes trembled as she watched the grotesque transformation.
"...Did you not say he was a martial artist of the Righteous Faction?"
The man in the black robe nodded grimly.
"...I did."
"He looks like a Ma-in no matter how you look at him..."
Boom—!
Faster than sound, Seo-jun appeared right in front of the woman. Startled, she instinctively thrust out her palm.
KABOOOOM──────────!!
With their palms locked, Seo-jun stared intensely into the woman’s face.
A Yin Cold Energy so pure it was almost transparent. And within it, a thick layer of Death Qi. It was the exact same lineage of martial arts as the Yin energy dwelling within Chun-bong.
Crackle!
Ten-Fold Yin-Yang Reversal. As Yin and Yang rapidly swapped places, the woman’s palm turned bright red.
"Ugh...!"
The woman was blown backward. The man in black quickly drew his sword and swung.
Slash—!
One of Seo-jun’s arms was severed. Seo-jun used one of his remaining five arms to catch the falling limb mid-air.
Vrrr—!
Astral Qi infused the severed arm. He swung it like a club, bashing the man.
Bang! The man was sent flying.
Seo-jun then threw the severed arm, now packed with Astral Qi, and proceeded to tear off the rest of his extra arms himself, leaving only his original two.
The pain piercing his brain brought a sick surge of euphoria.
He imbued those severed limbs with Astral Qi and launched them like massive daggers.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!────────!!!
One’s own body was far more efficient at containing internal energy than any sword. Watching the massive explosions, Seo-jun struck his own pressure points to stop the blood gushing from his shoulders.
"Whew..."
Seo-jun’s eyes flashed as he looked at Hwangbo Jun.
"What are you doing? You take the Chief."
"But..."
Hwangbo Jun hesitated. No matter how he looked at it, wasn't this guy a Ma-in? He couldn't tell if he was friend or foe anymore.
But when Seo-jun’s crimson eyes locked onto him, he had no choice but to nod.
"A-alright."
Only then did Seo-jun avert his gaze from Hwangbo Jun and look toward the two Black Lotus Union martial artists, who were warily watching him from a distance.
He would kill the man and sever the woman’s limbs to extract information.
Squelch—! From the bloody stumps where the two pairs of arms had been torn away, new arms made entirely of Demonic Qi sprouted.
Arms made of internal energy were certainly more convenient than physical ones.
Clang—!
After parrying the woman’s palm strike with his Black Water Great Demonic Palm and devouring the residual energy with the Star-Absorbing Great Art, Seo-jun’s eyes glinted.
‘Ice-based Qi techniques.’
As long as they used Qi techniques, they were no match for him.
Seo-jun’s eyes glowed with a predatory red light.