Chapter 51
Chapter 51
Chapter 51 Black Lotus Lord
The 30th floor of the tower.
A floor where the Martial Alliance and Black Lotus Alliance have divided their power and rule.
And a message appeared before Baek Hyang-hwa, the Black Lotus Lord who was lying lazily in the Black Lotus Alliance's stronghold.
[Do you agree to send power to the Hell difficulty 5th floor trial of the Testing Floors?]
[Yes / No.]
"What is this about?"
Since the conquest of the next floors was gradually slowing down, she had come to rest at the 30th floor stronghold to have some recharging time, but dopamine had flown in to break that languidness.
'Wait, there was a Hell difficulty in the Testing Floors? Why do they need my power?'
While others could easily copy those at the pinnacle realm, the manifestation of a Harmony realm master was a unique domain that even the tower's system couldn't copy recklessly.
The consent of the original was needed. If she didn't agree, a half-baked Harmony realm master who couldn't use manifestation would face Han Yeong-min.
"I should agree for now, right? It looks interesting."
Of course, as befitting the lord of the Black Lotus Alliance, the greatest Unorthodox faction force, she too had a personality that couldn't resist interesting things.
While she couldn't do something like Baal - putting half her consciousness into escaping power to intervene in trials - as the one who sent the power, she could at least observe that place.
"So that's why they needed my power... They've manifested that time? The Dragon Phoenix Assembly."
After defeating the previous lord and becoming the new lord, when she was quite bored, she had once gone to the Dragon Phoenix Assembly hiding her identity and pretending to be her own disciple.
Sparring with young and strong masters gave her much inspiration, and she also felt superiority watching young men who couldn't escape from her charm.
Of course, since winning the rising star tournament would be ridiculous, she eventually yielded the victory to a Wudang disciple, but it was a very enjoyable experience.
And in the place where those memories were recreated, this time it wasn't a young Wudang master, but a master with very outstanding skills facing her alter ego.
'The 5th floor of the Testing Floors was definitely a place that restricts part of one's senses... Even in that state, can he compete equally with me?'
Of course, she during the Dragon Phoenix Assembly wasn't a master who had reached the extreme of Harmony realm like now, but was at the boundary transitioning from the beginning to the mature stage of Harmony realm.
But even so, being able to exchange moves to that degree with restricted senses meant the opponent was at least a master at the mature Harmony realm level.
"He's not using sorcery or other powers, but purely using martial arts only. Just where is this master from? A master of that level, I couldn't possibly not know..."
The strong warriors from other worlds that Baek Hyang-hwa had seen so far didn't have deep knowledge of martial arts, so she had no choice but to think of Han Yeong-min as a warrior from the martial world.
Originally, before Earthlings entered, only those from the martial world had Eastern-style names in the tower, so this kind of misunderstanding was actually natural.
It even felt like he was originally a young master, not someone who had become young through Body Transformation or Rejuvenation.
Yet he wasn't affected by her appearance or Soul Seduction techniques.
When Baek Hyang-hwa concluded that Han Yeong-min was a master from a one-man-succession mysterious sect and was getting interested, a shocking sound reached her ears.
Getting bored now, so let's get serious. Grandmother?
"What nonsense are you spouting to a maiden in her prime..!"
Even now she had barely passed the age of knowing Heaven's will (50), and at that time it was just a little past the age of no confusion (40).
Han Yeong-min's remark gave a great shock to Baek Hyang-hwa, who was already very sensitive about age.
'Just you wait until you come up..!'
Now it wasn't just gods or Demon Kings waiting for Han Yeong-min at the top of the tower.
*
'I also lied about my age, but not to that extent.'
I, Han Yeong-min, am a 34-year-old man acknowledged by the status window.
Since the Dragon Phoenix Assembly usually allows participation up to age 30, I was just a minor offender who broke the rules by about 4 years - honestly, someone who could be let off even if discovered.
But that old monster in front of my eyes? She was a vicious criminal who shamelessly came out to where kids were playing and made it to the finals.
It was almost no different from Eun Ga-nu coming out to a youth fighting tournament and beating everyone up.
"I humbly ask for your guidance, Miss Baek Yeon-hwa. No man would dislike hearing big brother from such a beautiful master as you."
For now, I went along with her rhythm. There was nothing good about recklessly provoking the opponent.
-Fufu. Big brother is so...
Along with her reply, an aura that seduces men flows from her body.
It was a type of Soul Seduction technique that scatters the opponent's reason to induce specific actions.
But with mana threads covering my entire body like a cocoon, there was no gap for it to penetrate.
As soon as the Soul Seduction technique failed, she used claw techniques and quickly rushed toward me.
Silver energy-filled fingernails tried to tear me apart, and through the deep enlightenment about the mysteries of flow that I gained from sparring with Jin-mu, I naturally let that power flow away.
As if she knew I could block this much, she smiled, and a tail made of energy appeared behind her.
As soon as the tail appeared, her physical abilities and bewitching aura became stronger, and the Soul Seduction technique also became more powerful.
'This is the first time I've seen this type of martial art...'
Her hand and my hand naturally intertwined.
The hand trying to tear and the hand trying to let flow met to form an exchange, and just as I was adapting to the opponent's enhanced physical abilities, her tail increased by one more.
Physical abilities rose further and her hands became faster.
Momentarily caught off guard by that increased speed, I received my first proper wound since entering the 5th floor trial, excluding the hidden weapons I deliberately took.
Part of my sleeve was torn, and cuts were left inside with blood dripping down.
'Is this martial art aimed at nine-tailed foxes..?'
In sparring with others, she only brought out one tail to fight, so I didn't know she could increase more.
Even more, as she increased her tails, her physical abilities became stronger, so I couldn't predict how strong she could become.
Again our hands intertwined and again I skillfully let it flow. Earlier I just couldn't adapt to the suddenly increased speed, but it wasn't an unmanageable speed.
Instead, this time I deliberately didn't try to adapt to the speed. So that I wouldn't panic no matter when the speed changed, I concentrated on all attacks as if facing them for the first time.
Then even when she brought out her 3rd tail and delivered even faster speed, I could block the claw techniques without getting hurt.
The smile on her lips deepened as if she didn't expect I could block this.
The Soul Seduction technique also became more intense, now starting to gradually seep into my body by penetrating the energy, but it couldn't break through my Immovable Heart that was acknowledged even by Shaolin masters.
And seeing the power of the Soul Seduction technique, normally when it seeped in like this, my senses should have been disturbed, but since I was in a state without senses, I wasn't affected at all.
'I didn't know being without senses would be helpful.'
This way, I didn't need to use additional mana to drive out the Soul Seduction technique's energy.
I planned to let the opponent waste more energy on Soul Seduction techniques.
We continued exchanging offense and defense. In between, I also mixed in Hua Shan martial arts and Shaolin martial arts to compete.
As her tails became 4, then 5, now it became difficult to deflect with just the opponent's pure physical abilities alone.
Vital energy increased in my body and blood splattered on the sparring stage. The thought that this couldn't continue filled my head.
'I've done enough to this extent.'
Training the mysteries of newly acquired martial arts ends here. Now it was time to face her with the martial arts I had built up.
The nine-tailed fox's movements and the Demon King's movements clashed. Certainly, the Transcendence Limitless Path that had properly absorbed Baal's combat methods didn't lose to the opponent's martial arts at all.
No, rather I was completely overwhelming her with 5 tails. It wasn't just the power of the Transcendence Limitless Path alone.
The Hua Shan Blooming , Wudang's Taiji, and Shaolin's Immovable Heart that I had learned so far were naturally melding into my movements.
My fists overflowed with life more than before, and in my hand gestures, softness and strength coexisted.
Since there was no more wavering in my extending arms, all of that became more solid.
And I could see in my eyes that the opponent seemed to want to surrender, saying this was enough.
That old monster also had at least minimal conscience, or perhaps she originally had no intention of winning.
Originally, this was the Testing Floors, so it was strange to have a trial requiring defeating a Harmony realm master with restricted senses.
If I let her forfeit like this, the trial would probably end and I would receive rewards.
But I had absolutely no such intention. My growth was more important than getting a free pass on the trial.
I didn't want to easily send away the Harmony realm master I had finally encountered.
'Just when it's about to get interesting, you want to forfeit? Absolutely not.'
I provoked with words that would inevitably scratch the opponent.
"Getting bored now, so let's get serious. Grandmother?"
Veins bulged on the opponent's head. And the tail that was about to disappear instead increased to 9.
Tremendous energy burst from her body, and despite raising my Immovable Heart to the maximum, I was almost charmed for a moment.
It was fortunate I had no senses. If I could see her with my eyes, smell with my nose, hear her voice with my ears, and feel sensations with my body, it would have been more dangerous.
What... did you just say?
"Grandmother. Grandmother. Coming to where kids are playing and doing this, is it fun?"
Now she looked truly angry to the tips of her hair. The intention to forfeit disappeared from the opponent, and the power of manifestation was blooming.
-Haha... So you had noticed this lady's true identity? But to provoke in such a way... I should take you to the Black Lotus Alliance and make you completely intoxicated with this lady's charm.
Bewitching Flower Myriad Mirror.
All directions filled with mirrors made of her energy.
It was a terrifying inner world that disturbed senses, collapsed the mind with endless temptation and illusions, and even eliminated the opponent's will to resist.
But for me, her temptation, illusions, and sensory disturbance all had no effect.
My resistance enhanced with Immovable Heart firmly protected my mind, and there were no senses to be disturbed.
So within these countless mirrors, I just needed to focus only on her true body that was extending attacks toward me.
'Here it is.'
CLANG!
Her fingernails with 9 tails and my fist wrapped in Divine Demon Energy collided, making a metallic sound.
I had deliberately not revealed my energy until now for fear of being treated as Unorthodox, but now it didn't matter.
It was the finals anyway.
-How...?
She seemed flustered that I, who should have been disturbed in senses and struggling in illusions and temptation, naturally blocked the attack.
It would show overwhelming superiority against others, but the problem was meeting me, who was an extreme counter.
Knowing that manifestation didn't work, she recovered the mana used for manifestation and invested all that energy into herself to engage in direct confrontation.
It was a cool-headed judgment befitting a Harmony realm master.
I also recovered all the mana I had spread wide, concentrating mana more intensely only within the sparring stage and my body.
The more intense domination mana blocked the opponent's attacks and further strengthened my attacks.
The opponent had superiority in physical abilities and mana amount, but I was superior in martial arts enlightenment and the level of learned martial arts.
At first I was slightly pushed back, but my movements were developing more as the things I had learned so far melted in.
[Transcendence Limitless Path's level increases.]
Conversely, she seemed burdened by maintaining 9 tails and was getting weaker as time passed.
She was the first to make a decisive move. Using all remaining energy, she deployed a killing technique.
Heavenly Fox Nine Lotus Dance - Fox Body Scattering.
Her tails scattered and 8 substantial clones appeared.
And with 9 of her simultaneously targeting me, I felt like facing nine Harmony realm masters at once.
An absolutely unavoidable attack.
'I have no intention of avoiding it anyway.'
When the opponent crashes with full power, shouldn't I naturally respond with full power too?
If she divided, I instead concentrated on one point.
Leaving only the minimum mana to maintain energy sense, I put all the rest into my fist and extended it forward.
Transcendence Limitless Path - God Slaughter.
Since I had become skilled at gathering energy at one point through learning and using Breath, the enhanced God Slaughter clashed with her final technique.
When the two strikes collided, intense energy burst out enough to blow away the entire sparring stage, and in the scattering smoke, only one person was standing.
-Monster...
She called me a monster and lost consciousness right there.
'No, isn't the nine-tailed fox more of a monster?'
Now even Unorthodox factions treat me as a monster? Indeed, the answer seems to be the Demonic Cult.
I wanted to meet Demonic Cult people quickly.
They won't call me a monster, at least.
They will. Definitely.