Chapter 371
Chapter 371
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 371
Chapter Title: Rehearsal (4)
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Of course, a scenario had already been prepared for the rescue of the Dragon God's children thanks to Hugo's exploits.
He hadn't micromanaged every little detail for a more realistic performance, but he'd preemptively adjusted the Demonic Cult forces they would encounter along the way—that was part of it too.
But now, after suddenly receiving the Dragon God's gift and his power surging...
'This is going to be easier than I thought.'
And the result was the scene unfolding right now.
"Peak Realm! It's a Peak Realm expert!"
"Don't charge in recklessly! Prioritize holding out!"
The Demonic Cultists blocking the underground passage screamed in panic one after another. Charging at them single-handedly, Hugo swiftly swung the sword in his grip.
He'd briefly worried whether he'd adapt quickly to his suddenly elevated realm, but using his martial arts firsthand confirmed it was needless concern.
'...This is incredible.'
The sword in his hand moved as freely as if it were an extension of his body.
The moment his will focused on a target, the blade was already there.
The state of perfect unity between body and weapon—Unity of Man and Sword.
It was an ecstatic, thrilling sensation.
"You idiots! Can't you even hold your ground properly?!"
At that moment, a hulking giant over two meters tall stomped forward from among the Demonic Cultists, snarling.
Gripping massive iron flails, one in each hand.
'Finally here.'
The transcendent demonic cultivator tasked with guarding this ritual chamber.
Originally, with the home-field advantage and his subordinates' support, he would have been a formidable trial for Hugo, burdened as he was.
'But the situation's changed, so the plan changes too.'
To him now, this level was merely a rite of passage.
Kraaak—
He gripped the sword hilt tightly.
Thanks to Void Spirit Physique, his unrestricted inner energy surged through his limbs, awakening his body to its limits. Vast energy poured into the blade, transforming into the essence of destruction.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Void Spirit Physique Inner energy restrictions lifted. Body performance maximized.
"Aura...! Hurry and form the formation...!"
The enemy barked at his subordinates and prepared countermeasures in an instant, but Hugo didn't care a bit.
He simply immersed himself deeper in the something dwelling within.
'Heavenly Dragon Divine Art.'
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Heavenly Dragon Divine Art Culmination of all martial principles known and unknown. Evolved from Nameless Art.
The new name of the Nameless Art that had blossomed under the Dragon God's touch.
A supreme martial art born from intertwining every principle he'd mastered—and even secrets he hadn't known before.
'If they block the way, just smash them aside!'
Overwhelm with swift (快) and mighty (强) strikes to dominate (覇).
Pzzt—!
Several subtleties combined, and lightning surged from his hand.
It raced along the blade, forming a thunder dragon that grew in size in an instant.
Rumble—!
The aura dragon of massive lightning bolts wrapped around Hugo's body.
Roaring like thunder, it shot forward along the tip of his forward-thrust sword.
"Block it...!"
"No...!"
And then.
A deafening roar swept away screams and other noises alike.
Had this not been a space reinforced with special formations, the passage might have collapsed entirely from that destructive blow.
Pzzt—Pzzt—
In the aftermath, amid sparks flickering like embers, the only one standing on two feet was the transcendent expert—arms crossed, shielding his face.
"Urk... Y-You bastard...!"
But even he, standing atop his subordinates' sacrifice, was far from unscathed.
His skin charred black by lightning, smoke rising from his mouth and body, hair and beard spiked up like after a bomb blast.
Yet true to a demonic cultivator, even in dire straits, he refused to yield.
"Grrr!"
His eyes bloodshot, his severely damaged body began regenerating at an unnatural speed.
Losing all reason, driven only by murderous intent, he charged Hugo and swung both iron flails.
"Die!"
Perhaps a side effect of demonic arts dulling intelligence—it wasn't the wisest move.
'Well, techniques that boost physical prowess at the cost of reason are common enough.'
Hugo slowly raised his sword.
Absorb (吸) with soft (柔) transformations (變) and deflect.
The twin flails, wrapped in imperfect aura as if to crush boulders, slipped off the wave enveloping his sword, losing direction.
The water dragon flowing along the blade didn't stop there.
Shwaaa—
A majestic stream swirled in a circle along the circling sword tip.
It became a raging tidal wave, engulfing the unbalanced giant.
"Gah!"
Clang!
The giant dropped his flails, staggering back while clutching his neck where the water dragon had torn into it.
He'd reacted quickly enough upon the attack's failure to dodge backward, barely avoiding instant death—but he couldn't change his fated end.
He had no means to regenerate after losing more than half his neck and heart.
The transcendent demonic cultivator collapsed wide-eyed, sprawling lifelessly.
An anticlimactic end unworthy of the obstacle he'd been set as.
'A bit off from expectations, but not bad.'
Hugo swept his gaze over the wrecked passage and slowly nodded.
Then again, a mere transcendent expert felt a tad insufficient as a trial.
The taller and steeper the obstacle blocking one's path, the greater the thrill of overcoming it.
If their forces had risen, they could simply raise the enemy's level accordingly.
"Let's hurry. Now that the escape is known, sticking around here gains us nothing."
He turned back and addressed those quietly following behind.
They'd hung back at a distance, approaching only after the fight ended, averting their eyes from the carnage as they stepped carefully.
"The outside is a battlefield... Do you think we can join the Martial Alliance in the thick of it?"
Among them, Zhuge Hye-mi—maintaining relative calm—spoke worriedly.
Thanks to her gaining holy power, even the frail Dragon God's children could walk on their own, but they were still barely a match for ordinary folk.
Crossing a fierce battlefield like that was impossible.
"We'll try... and if not, find another way."
Hugo nodded slowly in response.
Meanwhile, in a corner of his mind, he debated efficient scenario revisions, mobilizing selves of various dispositions.
Having already taken the advance payment, satisfying the investor's needs was his duty.
'Of course. Gotta deliver value for the investment.'
That way, he could secure more funding—and his reputation with existing clients would boost appeal to new ones.
He had no intention of settling for this level.
Of course, succeeding on this stage first was key.
"We leave it to you, great hero. You're our only hope."
"...Yeah. We've got nothing left to lose, so we have to try something."
"At least the Demonic Cultists want us captured alive unharmed—pretty good odds, right?"
Hugo nodded slightly, watching the Dragon God's children banter to shake off tension.
The war outside mattered, but managing them was equally vital.
The ultimate goal of this Qiang Huan World scenario: rebuilding the Dragon Heart.
They were essential to that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Clang— Clang—!
"Argh!"
Screeech—!
Boom—!
In the chaotic battlefield of mingled noises.
"Huff... huff..."
Unhak of the Taecheong Sword, fighting as a Martial Alliance member, gasped raggedly.
The harsh Demon Realm environment choked his breath after even brief intense combat.
Thanks to formations and spells aiding them, he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion yet.
"Hoo."
Exhaling deeply like a sigh, he glanced at the stiffened corpse on the ground, his sword's function halted, and bit his lip hard.
'Rest in peace, junior brother.'
That jiangshi had been his fellow disciple.
Just half a year ago, they'd parted vowing to reunite after evading the Demonic Cult's blades.
'Never thought we'd meet again like this...'
His sect, Kunlun Sect, had long been wiped out.
p>Nearest to the Demon Realm where the Demonic Cult held sway, Kunlun bore the brunt of every incursion—a martial world's shield.
Before the Imperial Bloodbath, they'd earned respect and tangible aid from other powers for their sacrifices, but as chaos engulfed the world and self-preservation ruled, that was history.
Kunlun's isolated fall was inevitable.
As a survivor wandering the jianghu, his presence here was pure chance.
Staying as a guest warrior with a minor family he'd befriended, practicing relentlessly, he heard of the all-out war against the Demonic Cult.
Having reached transcendent realm dancing on death's edge, he joined the Beijing expedition without hesitation.
To carry Kunlun's will to the end.
To proclaim Kunlun's heirs endured.
Above all, for prime revenge against the Demonic Cult.
'...What the hell have you done, you Demonic Cult bastards.'
Including the one he'd just felled, Taecheong Sword ground his teeth, having granted peace to several Kunlun jiangshi.
These were no ordinary jiangshi.
He knew well the ones the Demonic Cult wielded, having fought on the frontlines against them as a Kunlun Taoist. But these in the war defied understanding—something unfathomable dwelled within.
'Upgraded in every way. Not just physical prowess, but resistance to inner energy too. Anyone below first-rate can't even scratch them... And above that...'
His gaze turned to one side of the battlefield.
Peak Realm warriors clashed fiercely with demonic cultivators and matching jiangshi.
'Sect leader...'
Among those Peak Realm jiangshi was Kunlun's sect leader.
How many years had they collected masters' corpses? Their numbers doubled the alliance's!
Thus, Peak Realm forces heavily favored the alliance's foes—but thankfully, the overall battle wasn't dire.
For the Martial Alliance had the Sura Blood Lord, a Peak Realm demonic faction master.
'With this... we'll take heavy losses, but we can win.'
Surveying the field, Taecheong Sword took in fights everywhere.
Sword Saint vs. Ghost Sword Demon Emperor, Heaven-Shaking Blade Emperor vs. Blood Demon Jiangshi.
And Divine Victory and Grand General Jeongcheon exchanging fierce blows with the Heavenly Demon, and...
Boom—!
"Kahahahat! This is hot-blooded fun! Just as I like it!"
A madman laughing heartily despite a massive hole in his gut from the Heavenly Demon's world-splitting demonic sword.
'...Divine Light Demon. Without him, we wouldn't have made it this far.'
The Heavenly Demon's might exceeded tales.
Without Divine Light Demon, at least three—maybe four—alliance Peak Realm experts would block him.
That fallout would shatter other fronts; they'd have been annihilated ages ago.
All thanks to Divine Light Demon, embodying immortality, giving double his worth selflessly.
'Our job is creating an environment for them to fell the Heavenly Demon. Stabilize the field so more can join against him...'
Catching his breath, Taecheong Sword gripped his sword resolutely and stepped back into the fray.
Refreshed enough—time to burn his body aiding against the Demonic Cult once more.
'We can do this. Like this, we can win!'
Flaming vengeance kindled hope.
Even in the hostile Demon Realm, heroes pressed unyieldingly toward their goal, stirring exaltation.
Forgotten was his guilt for fleeing his sect; pride swelled in joining this grand odyssey.
'This is murim's resilience. No matter how dark the night, dawn breaks—'
We would dispel the world's gloom with our hands, seizing a bright future.
Thus.
The moment optimism bloomed.
Rumble—
An anomaly stirred in the sky-blanketing storm clouds.
Purple lightning flashed violently through ominous rumbles.
Even those locked in combat couldn't ignore it.
Ka-boom!
And finally.
From heavens to earth.
Amid earth-shaking thunder, purple bolts crashed across the battlefield.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Time to ramp up the pace.'
Hidden behind the curtain, overseeing the battlefield, Hans smirked faintly.
So far, everything proceeded flawlessly per plan.
This barrier-enclosed space was under his control; he'd fine-tuned the Abyss supply to the Heavenly Demon, aiding his balanced performance.
'But for the climax, this falls short.'
Hope can't come this easily.
To unite the fractured, they needed to struggle together through insurmountable despair and trials, claiming victory unrelentingly.
For that, something more overwhelming was required.
Hans nodded contentedly, eyeing the colossal beings rising one by one where purple lightning struck.
Roooar—!
Thud—!
House-sized monsters twisted menacingly, roaring to assert presence.
Despair crept over humans who'd barely held balance till now.
Qilin, Gumiho, Dokkaebi, and more...
The pinnacle yokai jiangshi he'd meticulously crafted revealed themselves.