Chapter 446
Chapter 446
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 115
>Chapter Title: Evil Heart Granny (4)
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It was a sensation closer to instinct than rationality.
He was someone who could make cooler, more rational judgments than anyone else because he was so emotionless compared to ordinary humans.
For the first time in his life, he had come to like someone, and the sense of loss from that person's disappearance ignited a massive rage within him.
We often say that people get swept away by anger.
But for Mok Kyung-un, anger brought a single-minded resolve.
It was the sole will to desperately kill someone, and because of it, all unnecessary calculations and thoughts vanished.
-Swish! Crash!
The idea of channeling true qi with true qi.
And the bold gamble of gathering his power into a single point through the mysteries of the True Scripture of Transferring Qi, then flowing that strike's power while adding it to his own.
-Crunch!
This placed an enormous overload on his body.
However, Mok Kyung-un instinctively found the most effective way to release this power.
It was none other than one of Yuk Cheon-ho So Ye-rin's ultimate techniques: the Pursuing Shadow Return Sword.
-Boom!
A ground-shattering step.
Along with it, the two powers spun in a spiral sword momentum.
-Kwa-duk!
With the sound of space tearing, the sword momentum carrying the two powers created a vortex like a storm.
-Shwaa shwaa shwaa shwaa shwaa shwaa shwaa!
By rotating the power—which could strain the body if forcibly mixed—into a spiral, it naturally merged without needing to be blended.
Thus, the vortex from the two powers unleashed a massive sword momentum storm that engulfed the Evil Heart Granny.
-Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa boom!
Even the air tore apart, instantly reducing dozens of zhang to ruins, and at the center, something even stranger was happening.
-Shrrrr!
Within the sword momentum storm, two formless claws overlapped like interlocking fingers, enveloping someone—the Evil Heart Granny.
Unable to evade, she saw it as the best way to block it, but that wasn't all.
In that state, the Evil Heart Granny inside the two formless claws began spinning fiercely in a reverse spiral direction.
-Pa cha cha cha cha cha!
As a result, the spiral and reverse spiral overlapped, and soon,
-Slurrr!
The vortex from the combined powers gradually subsided.
Finally, the momentum completely dissipated.
-Thud!
The Evil Heart Granny, who had blocked it with exquisite skill, staggered and spat out black blood.
Even if she surpassed Mok Kyung-un in internal energy and power accumulation, completely receiving a single sword strike that concentrated her own power at one point, combined with Mok Kyung-un's spiraling sword momentum, was no easy feat.
After staggering two steps, she steadied her stance and wiped the blood with her sleeve.
"Huu... Huu..."
As she regulated her breathing, her pupils trembled.
It wasn't due to Mok Kyung-un's innate combat sense and response.
It was because of the sword technique he had just demonstrated.
'No doubt.'
It was that lord's sword technique.
So this was why she sensed the old fragrance from this guy.
She raised her head and looked at Mok Kyung-un.
-Pfsh! Pfsh!
Mok Kyung-un stood with his formless sword extended, his arm trembling, and blood spurting from some acupoints that couldn't withstand it.
Having reached the Life-Death Realm, gathering power was no longer a method beyond limits, but since he had also carried the opponent's power, strain was inevitable.
'My right arm won't move.'
But it didn't matter.
He needed to expel the overloading energy tormenting his body and move other parts.
Starting from his toe tips, he refocused sensation one by one.
Mok Kyung-un's tremendous concentration quickly regained control over his trembling, unresponsive body.
Once sensation returned throughout his body,
-Pat!
Mok Kyung-un immediately shot his form toward the Evil Heart Granny.
-Ta-tak!
With two kicks off the ground, his form split into three mid-flight.
It was the technique of creating afterimages with the Wind God Step, stolen from Masked Mara-hyeon.
Seeing Mok Kyung-un's form divide into three amid the raging wind, the Evil Heart Granny curled her lips.
'It's certain.'
This man before her was undoubtedly that lord's successor.
In that case,
-Pak!
The Evil Heart Granny immediately knelt on one knee, clasped her hands in a greeting pose, and shouted.
"Evil Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon pays respects to the blood heir who inherited that lord's lineage."
'!?'
A flicker of surprise flashed in Mok Kyung-un's eyes at her sudden action.
But that was it.
He didn't know why she was reacting this way, but whether it was a misunderstanding or whatever, it didn't matter.
His purpose in coming here was singular from the start.
To reclaim the alchemy that could fuse souls and help Cheong-ryeong.
But from the moment she vanished, all that became pointless, leaving Mok Kyung-un with only the resolve to kill the Evil Heart Granny.
-Flinch!
Even as she paid respects, Mok Kyung-un showed no sign of halting his attack, causing the Evil Heart Granny to furrow her brow before deploying her lightness skill to widen the distance.
'Why?'
If he was that lord's blood kin, he couldn't possibly not know her.
Then why was he attacking her with such killing intent?
-Pa-pa!
Bewildered, she summoned three formless claws to block the sword techniques from Mok Kyung-un's forms flying in from three directions.
-Pa-cha-cha-cha-cha-crash!
-Kwa kwa kwa boom!
Each exchange, concentrated with power, unleashed massive aftershocks upon collision.
The meadow around their battlefield had already lost its shape, turning to ruins.
Blocking Mok Kyung-un's attacks, the Evil Heart Granny shouted.
"Please stop. I am not your enemy."
Despite her cry, Mok Kyung-un had no intention of stopping.
Instead, he pressed her even harder with sharper, more precise sword forms.
This couldn't help but inwardly surprise even the Evil Heart Granny.
'No matter how much I focus on defense, his sword forms are growing more precise. What monstrous talent.'
It was a talent beyond measure by mere words.
Given enough time, it could surpass even the experience she had accumulated.
But this wasn't the time to be impressed.
-Pa-cha-cha-cha-crash!
Blocking Mok Kyung-un's formless sword, she shouted.
"I am a servant who served your ancestor. There's no reason to fight any longer..."
"Nonsense!"
-Shwick!
The Evil Heart Granny hastily jerked her head aside, but her cheek was sliced, drawing blood.
Her eyes sharpened.
The sword forms were growing so precise that mere defense could no longer suffice.
It was an absurdly fast rate of progress.
'This won't do.'
She needed to mix offense and defense appropriately.
What a dilemma.
She kept mentioning her connection to that lord, so why was he attacking her like this?
'!?'
Could he truly know nothing?
Her expression grew subtle.
Among the intruders here, some after the Great Cataclysm spoke of how all of ancient martial society had vanished, but even so, it was once a place that dominated the martial world.
How could a place called the world's greatest disappear so easily?
-Cha-cha-cha-crash!
Blocking Mok Kyung-un's full-force sword forms, she decided to change tactics.
With him trying to kill her relentlessly, it might be better to subdue him first and then talk.
Accordingly, she ceased pure defense, gathered power, and unleashed a formless claw strike toward Mok Kyung-un's chest.
But at that moment,
-Shwick!
Having reached the same realm, his formless sword pierced into her formless claw, slicing part of it.
'!!!!!'
Her pupils shook in an instant.
'He sliced the formless claw?'
The Evil Heart Granny couldn't hide her shock.
Formless energy could certainly have superiority based on internal energy.
However, fundamentally, this was a realm of enlightenment reachable only at the extreme, making it hard to dismantle with another formless energy.
Yet now, Mok Kyung-un had partially sliced her formless claw.
-Pa-rurr!
What was this?
As the formless claw was sliced and sharp energy rode the aftermath inward, the Evil Heart Granny hurriedly tried to widen the distance.
She instinctively knew.
Beyond mere precision, the sword was gradually sharpening further.
Its meaning was one thing.
'...He's ascending to a higher realm mid-battle.'
She couldn't conceal her genuine astonishment.
Killing intent.
The single-minded resolve to kill someone was a path diverging from reason and the Way, preventing entry into higher realms.
This she knew from long years of mental and physical cultivation.
Yet why was this man's sword growing stronger with each clash?
-Cha-ang!
The formless sword and formless claw clashed, and their forms crossed in an instant.
-Shwick!
The formless claw split even further than before, soaking the Evil Heart Granny's left shoulder in blood from the sword wound.
Her gaze on Mok Kyung-un narrowed.
'Single resolve...'
Now she understood the reason.
Though it was killing intent, it was a pure single-minded resolve.
Through the sole resolve to kill her, his sword was approaching its pure, essential role.
-Ugh!
Pain pierced her shoulder from the invading sharp energy.
Feeling such pain after so long, any sentiment about him being someone's descendant vanished completely.
A strengthening opponent, a worthy adversary met after ages.
All of it gradually stoked her competitive spirit and will to fight even stronger.
Since it had come to this, she wanted to repay her accumulated karma, cast off all obligations to that lord, and clash with full power.
-Gwoooo!
Fully unleashing her true qi, a fierce wind pressure raged around her from her aura.
In pure internal energy alone, having lived for ages, she overwhelmingly surpassed Mok Kyung-un.
Even Mok Kyung-un, focused solely on his resolve to kill, sensed everything would be decided in one move from her changed aura and properly assumed his stance.
-Swish!
Thus, the two peerless masters were about to decide victory with their ultimate techniques.
-Pat!
At that moment, someone slipped through the distorted gap in the torn formation from Mok Kyung-un's formless sword.
That someone urgently shouted.
"Stop!!!"
Despite the ear-splitting cry, neither Mok Kyung-un nor the Evil Heart Granny averted their eyes from each other.
It was a critical moment.
The instant they looked away, the fight would end.
Seeing this, the shouter deemed it impossible and flew her form between them, forcing her way in.
She was none other than,
'So Ye-rin?'
Yuk Cheon-ho So Ye-rin.
But the Evil Heart Granny, who had no idea who she was, had already resolved to end it and snapped.
"Don't interfere, wench."
"I can't do that. Evil Heart Granny Cheol Su-ryeon."
'!?'
Hearing her epithet and name precisely despite it being their first meeting, one of the Evil Heart Granny's eyebrows shot up.
"You... who are you?"
At her question, a chilling, eerie energy surged from Yuk Cheon-ho So Ye-rin.
With it, her once-black hair turned blood-red.
The Evil Heart Granny's eyes widened at the sight.
To her, Yuk Cheon-ho So Ye-rin, now with fully blood-red hair, clasped her hands in a greeting pose and said.
"Jin Ye-rin, daughter of Jin Young-in, the last Young Fortress Lord of Wusang Fortress, pays respects to Lady Cheol Su-ryeon, who served that lord!"
'!!!!!!'