Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Battle with the Blood Yin Death General
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The Blood Yin Death General narrowed his eyes.
“You...”
Hwangbo Ungyeong, spotting Seol Hwa-un, shouted urgently.
“Young Palace Lord! You can’t handle him alone. Call the North Wind Brigade Leader...!”
“Grand Elder.”
But Seol Hwa-un met Hwangbo Ungyeong’s gaze instead of retreating.
“Leave this to me.”
“...!”
Strangely, the moment he heard those words, Hwangbo Ungyeong felt his anxiety fade, replaced by calm.
“Young Palace Lord...”
Hwangbo Ungyeong had witnessed the earlier duel between Hwangbo Taeseong and Seol Hwa-un.
Seol Hwa-un had displayed skills so astonishing that no one could believe he was merely at the late True Aura stage.
‘Even so, he can’t possibly stand against the Blood Yin Death General like that. That much is certain. And yet...’
Even as he thought he should intervene, he somehow trusted him.
Deep down, he was convinced that Seol Hwa-un, whom he had observed, wouldn’t rush into battle against the Blood Yin Death General without a plan.
A sinister smile curled at the Blood Yin Death General’s lips.
“So you’re the Young Palace Lord. You must be the North Sea Ice Palace’s Young Palace Lord, the North Heaven Dragon.”
“...”
“Hahaha! No matter how great you think you are, know your place. Do you really believe a brat like you can oppose me?”
Paaaa!
He unleashed a terrifying aura. It was even stronger than when he had clashed with Hwangbo Ungyeong.
In response, Seol Hwa-un quietly circulated his Ice White Divine Art. The ferocious killing intent surging toward him dissipated the instant it touched his energy.
Seeing this, a glint of interest flashed in the Blood Yin Death General’s eyes.
“Ho!”
“This palace does not forget favors or grudges. Since your Four Demon Heavenly Sect dared to target our warriors, you will pay the price.”
“Bold words. But to challenge me, you should have called the Ice Emperor instead.”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“You’re nothing I can’t handle myself.”
“You insolent little...”
Seol Hwa-un whipped both hands out like lightning.
Shushushushuk!
Four streams of finger projectiles shot toward the Blood Yin Death General.
“Is that the North Sea Ice Palace’s Ice Ring Finger? What a laughable technique.”
Though it was the finger art that had claimed countless lives since Seol Hwa-un entered the Central Plains, it meant nothing to the Blood Yin Death General.
He stood motionless, not even bothering to defend.
Pufufupung!
The four Ice Ring Fingers scattered harmlessly against his protective true qi.
But then.
“What?!”
Puuuuk!!
“Kuh.”
The Blood Yin Death General’s face twisted. An unexpected finger projectile had pierced his protective true qi and struck true in his solar plexus.
It had appeared as only four strands, but in truth, a fifth had been hidden perfectly behind them.
Seol Hwa-un had concealed it deliberately, making it nearly impossible for the Blood Yin Death General to detect.
Easier said than done—deploying finger arts with such precision required profound understanding of qi control and meticulous accuracy.
As the Blood Yin Death General staggered from the unforeseen blow, Seol Hwa-un’s form appeared before him.
“...!”
“You fell for it.”
His fist, glowing pure white, smashed down.
“You...”
Kwang!
The Blood Yin Death General’s body was flung backward. Hwangbo Ungyeong, watching, widened his eyes.
‘No... it can’t be! A solid hit on the Blood Yin Death General...!’
He had no choice but to be shocked. This was the man who had effortlessly dodged and countered dozens of his full-force sword strikes.
Yet even after landing a blow, Seol Hwa-un’s expression was grim.
‘It was too shallow.’
In that fleeting instant, the Blood Yin Death General had pulled back, minimizing the damage.
“You bastard...”
Rage was plain on the Blood Yin Death General’s face.
“Daring to play tricks on me.”
Kugugugu.
His aura exploded with fury. Sticky killing intent filled the space around Seol Hwa-un.
“...”
Seol Hwa-un remained unfazed. He had already gauged the Blood Yin Death General’s level through Haowen’s intelligence.
Perfected Martial Soul Realm.
‘If that’s all, I can handle it.’
Seol Hwa-un had only recently reached the Martial Soul Realm after absorbing the Jaso Pill.
There was a gap between him and the Blood Yin Death General. But he judged that his past life’s experience and the Ice White Divine Art’s power could bridge it.
The issue was that the information was from three years ago.
The Haowen had no recent sightings of him using martial arts publicly.
Of course, there might be no change from three years prior. Martial realms grew exponentially harder to advance at higher levels.
Especially for leaders of massive sects like the Eight Great Demonic Sects, duties often left little time for cultivation.
‘But if his skills have grown even stronger...’
On the flip side, ascension to leadership could broaden one’s perspective, leading to unexpected breakthroughs.
‘Blood Yin Death General, which are you?’
The Blood Yin Death General slowly raised his hand.
“You landed a cute little hit with your trick, so I’ll return the favor.”
He then extended his palm forward.
“...?”
Seol Hwa-un furrowed his brow, sensing something off.
Puuuung!
Suddenly, an explosive sound rang out, and Seol Hwa-un’s body was blasted backward.
“How’s this? My second signature technique, the Blood Yin Remote Strike Palm.”
“...!”
Seol Hwa-un looked visibly rattled. His robes were torn in places, and his neat hair was disheveled.
“Impressive, though. You reacted to the Blood Yin Remote Strike Palm on first sight.”
Sensing something amiss, Seol Hwa-un had swiftly deployed the Ice White Divine Palm to soften the impact. It prevented major injury.
‘An astonishing palm technique. Like the Shaolin’s Hundred Paces Divine Fist, but as a palm art. Wide range and tremendous power.’
A direct hit would have spelled disaster.
Seol Hwa-un quickly composed himself and taunted the Blood Yin Death General.
“Come at me properly, Blood Yin Death General.”
“What?”
“Your true ultimate art isn’t this, is it?”
At those words, a chilling smile spread across the Blood Yin Death General’s face.
“Brat, can you handle it?”
Black smoke faintly rose from his hands, soon condensing into a vivid dark-crimson energy.
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed.
‘That’s one of the Demonic Path’s Ten Great Ultimate Arts, the Blood Yin Hand.’
The very technique that elevated the Blood Yin Death General to one of the Four Demonic Generals.
All his other martial arts were mere derivatives of this Blood Yin Hand.
“You’ll regret this.”
Shuaak!
As the ferocious Blood Yin Hand energy extended, Seol Hwa-un countered with a fist strike.
Kwang!
Seol Hwa-un stepped back two paces; the Blood Yin Death General, one.
The dark-crimson energy infiltrated Seol Hwa-un’s body but soon dissipated.
Even with his advantage, the Blood Yin Death General looked dissatisfied.
“Indeed, the North Sea Ice Palace’s yin qi is different. Unaffected by my Blood Yin Hand.”
“...”
The terror of the Blood Yin Hand lay in infiltrating the foe’s body to destroy their meridians and qi-blood—but it failed against Seol Hwa-un.
The pure yin qi of the Ice White Divine Art had neutralized it outright.
‘A matter of elemental affinity? Hmph, raw power will crush it anyway.’
“Let’s see how long you last.”
Shuuk!
The Blood Yin Hand’s energy sharpened further, assaulting from all directions this time.
Papapapa!
“...!”
Seol Hwa-un retreated hastily, deploying the Full Snow Flow Fist’s defensive stance, Jade Formation Falling Powder.
Kwakwakwang!
Seol Hwa-un was pushed back again.
‘As expected of the Blood Yin Hand. Full Snow Flow Fist has its limits.’
Papapapapa!
Facing the relentless Blood Yin Hand strikes, he immediately unleashed the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist.
‘Full Snow Scatter Wave!’
Kuuu!
The trajectories of the Blood Yin Hand’s qi twisted wildly before converging in one spot.
Kwaaaang!
Seol Hwa-un’s fist strike, having shattered the qi in one go, shot toward the Blood Yin Death General.
Kuung!
The Blood Yin Death General didn’t retreat an inch, blocking with an open palm.
‘Weakened from destroying the Blood Yin Hand, yet he blocks Full Snow Scatter Wave with just a palm from standstill.’
“Not bad—quite a heavy fist. Is that all?”
“Hardly.”
Seol Hwa-un surged his inner energy, unleashing the Ice River Nine Splits Divine Fist in earnest.
Kwakwakwang!
Kugugugu!
Their clashes were cataclysmic. Each impact cracked the ground and shook the Four Demon Heavenly Sect’s buildings.
Even the battling warriors had paused to watch the duel.
“Wow, incredible!”
“To display such martial arts against our Sect Leader... who the hell is that guy?”
“We knew the Young Palace Lord’s skills were formidable, but to stand toe-to-toe with the Blood Yin Death General?!”
Hwangbo Ungyeong, watching closest, couldn’t suppress his bitterness.
‘I couldn’t even draw out his Blood Yin Hand... and here he is, clashing like this against the man wielding it!’
It looked evenly matched, but true masters sensed it: the Blood Yin Death General had the edge over Seol Hwa-un.
A faint smile played on his lips as he extended his hands repeatedly.
‘So pure and dense! The North Sea Ice Palace’s yin qi truly is exceptional.’
Greed burned in his eyes.
‘Tempting, very tempting.’
The foundational Blood Yin Art of his Blood Yin Hand possessed an energy absorption property.
Limited to yin-type arts, it could siphon opponents’ inner energy.
Among the Four Demonic Generals, the Blood Yin Death General was famed for his profound inner energy—thanks to absorbing foes’ yin arts to bolster his own.
Even impure, mixed energies posed no issue.
But having reached his current realm, he saw little value in further absorption and had restrained himself.
‘Pure yin qi like this changes everything.’
Kuung!
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed as he repelled the Blood Yin Hand energy.
‘Sky-Splitting True Fist.’
His fists vibrated faintly. Sensing the ominous shift, the Blood Yin Death General’s gaze sharpened.
‘Hm?’
“Hah!”
For the first time, Seol Hwa-un let out a spirited shout as he thrust both fists forward.
Kugugugu!
Sensing the immense power in Seol Hwa-un’s fists, alarm crossed the Blood Yin Death General’s face.
‘Damn!’
He frantically maximized his Blood Yin Hand energy.
Kwaaaang!
“Kuk!”
The impact was so massive a huge crater formed between them.
Seol Hwa-un’s pupils trembled slightly.
‘Even the Sky-Splitting True Fist was blocked.’
The Blood Yin Death General was secretly startled.
‘Nearly got careless there. What a fist technique...’
Seol Hwa-un’s form hesitated, his energy consumption evident.
The Blood Yin Death General’s eyes gleamed.
‘Now’s my chance!’
Pat!
His figure vanished like a shadow.
“...!”
Reading the presence, Seol Hwa-un spun his body sharply and punched behind him.
Peuk!
“Quick reflexes.”
But despite countering, his fist was caught in the Blood Yin Death General’s grasp.
“Finally caught you. Such tempting yin qi. Heh heh heh.”
Guessing his intent, Seol Hwa-un’s gaze hardened.
“Think you can?”
“What?”
Hwaaak!
“No!?”
Startled by the sudden heat from Seol Hwa-un’s fist, the Blood Yin Death General released his grip.
‘What the...!’
Buuuung!
His reddened fists danced. Flames bloomed along the fist path, growing to engulf everything.
Hwaaaak!
‘Flame Flower Fills the Sea!’
The third stance of the Blazing Flower Fist—one favored by the Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor.
The terrifying heat wave erupting from Seol Hwa-un’s fists slammed into the Blood Yin Death General.
Puuuung!
A massive explosion echoed in all directions.