Chapter 92
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Heavenly Thunder Annihilation
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Yang Mu-seung scowled.
“What’s this? You’ve got the leisure to worry about someone else right now?”
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes darkened deeply in response.
“I do.”
“What?”
Whoosh!
A fierce heat suddenly erupted from Seol Hwa-un’s body. It was strong enough to reach even Yang Mu-seung, who stood some distance away, not to mention the Heavenly Net Six Paths.
“Yang Gang Qi?!”
Yang Mu-seung wore a stunned expression. A North Sea Ice Palace expert wielding Yang Gang Qi?
Yellow flames flickered to life in Seol Hwa-un’s hands.
‘Thunderbolt Three Fists, first stance…’
The yellow flames grew larger and more vivid, soon turning pure white. It was the Extreme Flame realm of the Pure Yang Infinite Art.
‘Thunderbolt Chaos Wave!’
Swoooosh!
The brilliantly white fist shadows of Seol Hwa-un shot out in all directions.
To the Heavenly Net Six Paths, it felt as though a massive wall of fire was crashing down upon them.
“……!”
“B-block it!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!!
A tremendous explosion rang out, carving a massive crater into the ground. The Heavenly Net Six Paths, unable to withstand the power of the Thunderbolt Three Fists, were flung in every direction.
“Urk!”
Soot-blackened and pale-faced, they all appeared to have suffered internal injuries.
‘No way!’
‘All six of us at once…!’
Of course, Seol Hwa-un wasn’t unscathed either. Forcing the Pure Yang Infinite Art to a higher realm had left him with internal injuries.
‘Still too much for me, after all.’
The Thunderbolt Three Fists consumed a massive amount of inner energy, proportional to its devastating power per stance.
‘But I’ve dealt them a heavy blow. That’s a profit.’
As Seol Hwa-un caught his breath.
“You bastard!”
Yang Mu-seung ambushed him. His blade slashed toward Seol Hwa-un’s head.
Screeech!
As expected of a formidable expert, he exuded an aura surpassing that of Nung Pa-jeok, the former Misty Mountain Fortress leader.
“……!”
Drained from the massive inner energy expenditure, Seol Hwa-un struggled to respond immediately.
But he had the Ice Heaven Silent Scale Armor. Seol Hwa-un twisted his body, offering his shoulder to the blade.
Clang!
Yang Mu-seung’s eyes widened.
‘A metallic ring?’
He finally noticed Seol Hwa-un’s protective armor, but it was too late.
Seol Hwa-un’s fist drove into Yang Mu-seung’s left side.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Unable to withstand the impact, Yang Mu-seung flew backward. Seol Hwa-un’s struck shoulder throbbed, but he ignored it.
‘This is my chance!’
The Heavenly Net Six Paths hadn’t fully recovered, and the other bandits dared not intervene in the fierce clash.
Eliminating Yang Mu-seung now was the perfect opportunity. Without him, the bandits might scatter, leaderless.
Yang Mu-seung, just rising, spotted Seol Hwa-un charging with murderous intent.
“Hup…!”
He tried to respond, but the shock made it difficult.
‘Damn it all!’
Just as Seol Hwa-un’s fist aimed to shatter his skull.
A figure suddenly blocked his path.
“……!”
Boom!
The figure who took the fist strike in his stead was pushed back five steps, unable to handle the force.
Shaking his hands, he muttered.
“Whew, that was close. I told you over and over not to step in yourself, didn’t I?”
Yang Mu-seung had no retort to the figure’s words. He knew full well how dire the previous moment had been.
Seol Hwa-un glared at the newcomer.
“You…”
“Long time no see, North Heaven Dragon.”
It was Ko Woo-gyeon, leader of the Eighteen Battle Ghosts, who had ambushed Seol Hwa-un in the Misty Mountain Forest.
“This time, I’ll kill you for sure.”
The Eighteen Battle Ghosts had already appeared behind him.
Seol Hwa-un’s face hardened.
“…This is trouble.”
He had just repelled the Heavenly Net Six Paths, only for the far more threatening Eighteen Battle Ghosts to appear.
“…….”
They pressed him with their killing intent.
Deflecting arrows and battling the Heavenly Net Six Paths had already drained his stamina and inner energy considerably.
His injuries weren’t severe, but they restricted his movements to some degree.
In that state, even at full strength he couldn’t guarantee victory against the Eighteen Battle Ghosts. The situation was undoubtedly dire.
“Whew.”
Letting out a light sigh, Seol Hwa-un smiled instead.
“This’ll be a fun fight after so long.”
“…What?”
Bang!
Seol Hwa-un’s form vanished like a puff of smoke.
“Huh?!”
He reappeared beside a Battle Ghost approaching from the rear.
“……?!”
Swoosh!
A fist shrouded in clear fist strength plunged into the Ghost’s side. It was too sudden, at a speed the Ghost couldn’t react to.
Boom!
Crack!
“Gurk!”
Ribs shattering, the Ghost flew back.
“One.”
Seol Hwa-un’s form vanished once more.
The wide-eyed Battle Ghost leader shouted.
“Be careful! Brace for his attacks!”
He hurriedly pursued Seol Hwa-un, but it was too late.
Another Battle Ghost collided head-on with Seol Hwa-un.
“……!”
The fist flew unerringly. Though prepared, he crossed his arms in defense.
‘If I can just block once…!’
He figured nearby Ghosts or the leader would assist if he held out briefly.
But then.
Ssssh.
‘What?’
His eyes clearly saw Seol Hwa-un’s fist embedding in his forearm, yet he felt no impact.
In that instant, he spotted the fist plummeting fiercely toward his head.
‘A feint?! Damn…’
Kwang!
His skull slammed into the ground from the massive shock.
“Two.”
Whoosh!
Seol Hwa-un’s form vanished again. To the Eighteen Battle Ghosts, it was maddening.
‘What’s with this speed!’
Boom!
“Three.”
Another Ghost crumpled powerlessly from the massive impact.
‘Ugh!’
They knew from their last encounter that Seol Hwa-un was an extraordinary expert.
That was why they had prepared countermeasures this time for proper revenge.
‘But back then, he wasn’t this fast!’
The fist strikes seemed slightly less powerful, but the speed was overwhelming. Three down in the blink of an eye.
The secret to Seol Hwa-un’s newfound speed was the Heaven-Earth Shadowless Step.
While renowned for its evasion prowess, that wasn’t its only strength.
The Heaven-Earth Shadowless Step had two main formulas: first, ‘Mist’, and second, ‘Speed’.
Most used the Mist formula, but the Speed formula allowed overwhelming velocity like now.
During his Heavenly Collapse Fist Emperor days, he had rarely employed the Speed formula.
Though exceptional, it consumed too much inner energy.
The Mist formula sufficed in most cases, so after reaching near-divine proficiency, he seldom used it.
Of course, the Speed formula had drawbacks. Beyond the exponentially higher energy drain, it didn’t link smoothly into follow-up attacks.
‘I’m reaping the benefits of the Unrivaled Divine Victory Fist.’
Amid that, one man’s fist art had inspired Seol Hwa-un greatly.
Not just immediate power gains, but new possibilities for his dominance-focused fist style.
‘Thanks to that, I can now chain the Speed formula with fist arts.’
Boom!
“Argh!”
A Ghost with a shattered nasal bone dropped to his knees. Seol Hwa-un murmured lowly again.
“Five.”
He had neutralized five Ghosts in an instant, but now reached his limit. The Ghosts had tightened their encirclement, severely restricting his movement radius.
‘Regrettable, but this is it.’
Seol Hwa-un cleanly abandoned the Speed formula.
“You bastard!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Sword, spear, and saber flew at him simultaneously. Unlike the unified weapon formations from the Misty Mountain Forest, this assault felt entirely different.
‘Worthy of the Eighteen Battle Ghosts. They’ve mastered diverse joint attacks.’
Less powerful than before, but far more persistent and intricate. Even the Heaven-Earth Shadowless Step couldn’t fully evade them.
Thus, Seol Hwa-un met them head-on with his fists.
‘Fist Cannon One Split!’
Rooooar!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The three Ghosts and Seol Hwa-un were all pushed back. The Ghosts were shocked by the heavy impact transmitted through their weapons.
‘Damn it. This guy’s definitely stronger than in the Misty Mountain Forest!’
‘A monster. Not even a month has passed!’
The Eighteen Battle Ghosts sensed that letting Seol Hwa-un escape today meant no second chance.
‘Incredible talent, but…’
‘This place will be your grave!’
Sword, saber, spear, and club attacked in varied combinations. Each strike was tricky.
“Hah!”
Seol Hwa-un unleashed the Ice White Divine Art to its maximum, swinging his fists wildly.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Though numerically superior, the Eighteen Battle Ghosts had narrowed their formation to block escape.
Fortunately for Seol Hwa-un, this prevented their vice leader from using his prized bow, lest he hit allies.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce eighteen-against-one—no, thirteen-against-one—battle raged on.
The ground cracked and earth upheaved in the unrelenting clash.
The bandits and Yang Mu-seung could only watch, not daring to intervene.
‘North Heaven Dragon… I thought the rumors exaggerated, but they fell short. If anything!’
Few in the entire martial world could single-handedly face the Namwang Sect’s Eighteen Battle Ghosts with such prowess.
Moreover, Seol Hwa-un had only just passed thirty.
‘If the Eighteen Battle Ghosts hadn’t shown up, I’d be…’
Gulp.
Yang Mu-seung swallowed dryly without realizing.
“…….”
He forced a smile.
‘But North Heaven Dragon, your fate is death here.’
Even if he miraculously defeated the Ghosts, six hundred Green Forest Eighteen Bandits elites remained.
Mixing Chaos Sect followers were also converging here.
‘The outcome is already set.’
Then, the North Wind Brigade Leader’s shout rang out.
“Save the Little Palace Lord!”
The North Wind Brigade, Eom Mu-hwi, and Dong Ho-won were charging this way.
‘Ah, they must be out of arrows.’
They had brought plenty, but after prolonged volley, it was about time. Still, Yang Mu-seung wasn’t worried.
“Perfect.”
He signaled with his hand. The encircling bandits surged toward them.
“……!”
The North Wind Brigade clashed with the bandits before covering half the distance. Though superior in skill, they were exhausted and overwhelmingly outnumbered.
“We must break through! No matter what!”
The North Wind Brigade Leader urged his men, but it was futile. They soon engaged in desperate struggle with the bandits.
Seeing this, Seol Hwa-un grew urgent.
‘I have to carve a path somehow.’
The prerequisite was defeating the Eighteen Battle Ghosts blocking him.
‘No choice.’
Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed.
“Haat!”
Fists wrapped in fist strength lashed out in all directions.
“No chance!”
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Ghosts defended solidly, but were forced back.
Taat!
Seol Hwa-un seized the moment, kicking off the ground and launching into the air.
Whirl!
His form soared over three zhang in an instant.
“……?”
Doubt crossed the Battle Ghost leader’s face.
‘Jumping into midair himself?’
Without reaching the legendary Ability to Walk on Air, one couldn’t move freely in the sky.
Thus, martial artists avoided it unless desperate.
‘I don’t know his plan, but this is our chance.’
The Ghosts converged on his landing spot, aiming to overwhelm him at once.
But that was precisely what Seol Hwa-un wanted.
Zzzzzing!
Vast true energy gathered in his fists. He had summoned his entire body’s inner power.
Fwoooosh!
The pure white flames erupting from his fists spread across his body.
Woooong!
The aura was so intense his form trembled faintly in midair.
The Battle Ghost leader looking up paled.
‘No way… In this situation…’
Seol Hwa-un was preparing the most powerful stance among his known fist arts.
‘I have to make it.’
Lacking the realm for full execution, but no options remained now.
‘Thunderbolt Three Fists, third stance.’
The flames enveloping his body reconverged in his fists, glowing ever more intensely.
Seeing this, the Battle Ghost leader yelled desperately.
“Everyone, evade—!”
But before his cry finished, Seol Hwa-un’s fists arced downward.
‘Heavenly Thunder Annihilation!’
Flash!
A colossal bolt of lightning struck the ground.