Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Double Agent
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Grips the sword.
Breathes onto the gripped blade.
His gaze clashes with the monks'. In an instant, countless hands surround him from all sides.
"Kill him!"
The sword moves amid the erupting shouts.
"Remember this, Red Cloud."
He advances, following the teachings of the First Demon etched deep in his mind.
"The Blood-Staining Emissary is an advanced martial art that wields qi. It weaves countless drops of blood into a weight no human can endure. The pinnacle of the heavy sword."
Stamps the ground hard.
Draws up every ounce of inner energy within.
Infinitely heavy.
Throws himself at the world.
"Rampage like a beast. Blood is the essence of life itself. Revealing your inner savagery as it is... that is the..."
Bares his teeth.
"Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art."
Like a beast...!
---Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!
His surging inner energy engulfs his entire body. Various techniques blend within it.
A beast baring its fangs. A blood-red shadow.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
Third Form
Hegemonic Power Demonic Path
An unstoppable force. A maddened beast rampaging.
Devouring even the moonlight...
The ultimate in heaviness.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
Sixth Form
Blood-Staining Emissary
Swings it. A world made of blood.
From beneath the beast's hide, covered in four eyes.
...
"...Hoo?"
Akbi's eyes narrowed from within the shadows. The words slipped out unbidden, scattering into the air.
What... what is this?
The Heavenly Demon's hidden sword.
That was the extent of what Akbi had imagined Red Cloud to be.
Even after the incident in Akmin, he'd tried digging into Red Cloud but came up empty. It was as if someone had deliberately tampered with the information, making it hard to trace.
Still, he'd kept following the trail.
Because he couldn't hold back once he learned of the connection to the Heavenly Demon.
And finally, he'd found it. The name Red Cloud.
A spy dispatched from the Murim Alliance. Records pointing to nothing more than a third-rate warrior.
Kidnap the spy, seize their weakness, and turn them into a double agent.
Not an uncommon tactic. Anyone determined could pull it off.
But Red Cloud's activities during his Murim Alliance days were laughably sparse.
For the Heavenly Demon herself to personally take in a mere third-rate warrior and hone him into a blade...?
Who would believe that?
But Akbi didn't give up. He pursued relentlessly, gnawing at every lead.
And in the end, he grasped the truth. That Gatekeeper Red Cloud and the Red Cloud of Akmin were one and the same.
Once he alone beheld the full truth, uncontrollable joy shook his body.
Think about it.
Turning a simple third-rate warrior into a master who shone amid the bloodbath.
Impossible without extraordinary affection.
That's why Akbi resolved himself. If he could pull him out, make him one of his own...
He could twist that perfect woman's face once more.
Red Cloud's abilities weren't all that impressive in themselves. Blocking the Akmin bloodbath was commendable, but taken individually, nothing miraculous.
The young upstart who'd entered the Profound Realm was little more than a rampaging fool, surrounded by Blaze Realm experts. Suppressing him would've been easy; even if not, he'd have self-destructed.
Gokcheong, the young lord of the Blood Cult, was just a warning shot.
No more, no less.
Moreover, to catch that one rampaging kid, three Blaze Realm veterans had been dispatched, or so he'd heard. Their power might lack, but with three seasoned warriors, failure would've been the real anomaly.
He hadn't seen it himself. But he didn't need to.
What Red Cloud did was merely piling rice on a finished meal.
And that alone made him utterly unnecessary for recruitment.
A tool to torment the Heavenly Demon once more. That was his entire value.
Yet...
I was wrong.
"Kuhuhu...!"
I was way off!
The Four Vajra move. The heart of Shaolin. Supreme masters, barring the abbot, advance while bursting the air.
They take heavy sword auras with their bodies. Their bodies, honed to the limit, blend external and internal arts into a technique that withstands all.
Vajra Indestructibility.
Not quite there yet, but the Four Vajra stand at its threshold.
Not an exaggeration to call them the toughest in the martial world. Not just their techniques, but even their qi follows the 'Earth' property.
Unyielding by nature. An impregnable fortress that doesn't crumble, a rock that rises again even if swept away.
And yet.
Such things.
---Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!
Are devoured whole by the rippling red qi aura.
"Kuhuk?!!"
"Wh-what...?!"
The Four Vajra's combined formation crumbles. Amid the pouring blood qi, Akbi laughed.
Trained to perfection! And properly so!
How did he hone a mere third-rate warrior to this level? This is... this is straight-up...
Born from countless deaths, a monster among monsters!
"D-don't fall back!!"
"Hold! Hold on! Division Leader! Right now... kaaaaak!!!!"
Rock-like limbs are slashed apart. The bodies of the Four Vajra, howling of Vajra Indestructibility, are torn to shreds.
The man's movements at the center aren't graceful. Clumsy, even.
The scent of steel brushes his nose.
Unyielding blood mist simply swallows everything around.
Yet that clumsiness gains weight, turning bizarre. Simplicity transcends mere simplicity.
One step.
Another step.
The extending foot is like the great sea. The descending sword so heavy that even a simple swing cracks the earth.
Earthquake. Blood. Flesh. Bone. Pulverization.
Absurd strikes blending myriad words into one.
They chain together. Unceasing. Relentless.
Shaolin's top masters vomit blood. Their extended Hundred-Pace Divine Fists shatter before reaching their mark.
Shaolin's top masters raise both arms. Blood-mist shrouded swords grind those arms to dust.
Shaolin's top masters unleash Anti-Demonic Eighteen Palms. The receiver twists, channeling the shock into the ground.
Shaolin's top masters hurl themselves forward. Red Cloud matches them mid-air, enduring the onslaught and standing tall atop it.
Blood.
Blood.
Blood again!
The ground shakes. Overflowing blood qi crawls toward him, and Akbi can't help but laugh.
"Uhahaha!!!"
A madman! A real lunatic!
Look at those unyielding eyes! Those fingertips carrying a rampaging beast!
The sword changes! And once it does!
The sword form shifts! The heaviness turns fluid, endlessly swift!
Soaring flames! Freezing chill!
Even the Eighteen Arhats Formation, said to suppress any sect leader, crumbles head-on...!
"You...! You're a real beast...! The bloodhound the Heavenly Demon raised in her shadow...!"
How much effort to raise him this far.
How much love did he receive?
So... exactly that much...!
"No good! You have to die here! Killing you will twist the Heavenly Demon's face deeper than recruiting you ever could! Loss hurts more than betrayal! Kuhuhu!"
Akbi drooled. Shuddering, he expelled the pleasure coursing down his spine.
All of them. Kill them all...
And taste betrayal's sweetness once more. Make that Heavenly Demon who failed to catch him regret it.
To the Heavenly Demon. That overwhelming woman. That perfect woman...
Grant her another unforgettable memory!
Now. Remember. And behold it all.
His posture. His movements. His nature.
Confirm the end of that flower bud blooming gorgeously in battle...
Then crush it myself.
For him, for her...
To give them both an unforgettable memory.
"I... Akbi of Reverse Heaven! If you want this neck, crawl up here...! Past the rotten Shaolin, right to me!"
...
Feels the energy flowing along the sword tip. Scattered swords embed in the ground.
Three swords.
Blood Sword.
Ghost Sword Black Lord.
Ghost Sword White Night.
Pulls into reality what he's repeated countless times in his mental world. Dodges the charging Arhat's Hundred-Pace Divine Fist with a graze and snatches White Night.
Ice-White Blood Ghost Sword
Fourth Form
Flash Scatter
The key is variation. Constant heaviness lets foes adapt.
So change it up. Never underestimate them.
Feel your heartbeat. Keep your fingertips frozen cold.
Extend your foot lightly.
Cleave the entire world asunder.
---Kwaddddduk!!!!
A single line accelerates instantly, swallowing two monks. Ice shards mix with the bursting blood.
That's not all. Accelerates further. Sheds weight from his toes, gliding forward.
White Night wails like a ghost. Its ecstatic movements support him.
Sheds weight for overwhelming speed.
Ice-White Blood Ghost Sword
Fourth Form
Flash Scatter - Nine-Headed Dragon Slaughter
Nine rays of sword qi devour the Janggyeong Division Leader.
Qi against qi. A clash between absolute masters.
Compressed cold engulfs the air. The Janggyeong Leader, pushed back by the momentum, vomits blood.
"What in the...?!"
Twists his body. Meets the incoming Anti-Demonic Eighteen Palms.
"You bastard!!!"
Feels what's contained in that tidal surge. A precise strike targeting his sword.
Doesn't resist. Releases instead. White Night soars skyward; in that instant, he's unarmed.
The Arhat Formation Leader who unleashed Anti-Demonic Eighteen Palms is right before him. Sees the Intent-Form Qi blazing within that power.
Two arms sprouting from his back. The qi itself aims at him with intent.
Distinctly formed Intent-Form Qi.
Four palms strike him in unison.
---Kkudddduk!!!!
Blood erupts. Flesh mangles. But he doesn't retreat.
Mixes techniques. Endures, halts him. Overwhelms raw power with raw power.
Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art
Fifth Form
From clenched teeth, spits forth years of hardship.
Seizes the rampaging qi and guides it forward.
Even tougher.
Even more brilliant.
Blood Shadow Twin Flowers - Myriad Piercer.
Blooms it all...!
---Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!
Shatters the descending twin Intent-Form Qi head-on. Doesn't stop there, swings his accelerated arm to pierce the heart.
The Arhat Leader's eyes waver amid the explosive burst. His protective qi holds, but can't withstand the instantly blooming technique's destructive force.
"Kuhuuuuuk!? Th-this... what...?!"
No answer. Just grips the blood flower and swings with all his might.
Hurls him upward, seizing a momentary gap. With him go the remaining Four Vajra and Eighteen Arhats charging in unison.
His master's voice brushes his ear.
"In life, there will come times when you face many alone."
The face he longs to see. Those movements.
Draws what he learned at his fingertips.
"The first thing to do then is..."
Foot back.
Hand forward.
His pained foot kicks up the ground-stuck sword.
"...to see the big picture."
One plan in mind.
Linking formations into paths.
Analyze foes thoroughly, ride their flow-that's multi-opponent combat basics.
The ground-bound ghost sword leaps up. Spinning, it reaches him; he snatches it.
Flames erupt from the tip. Ghost Sword Black Lord, barely used outside his mental world.
The Janggyeong Leader kicks off the ground. The Arhat Leader twists mid-air.
Remaining warriors swarm, pressing him.
"Climbing so arrogantly! We'll nip that bud here!"
"The current martial world dooms those who don't advance! This is the natural order, the world now! Beast! You can't defy it alone!"
Shadows swarm, blotting even moonlight for an instant. Amid pouring shouts, the precepts-breakers' arts rampage madly.
Hundred-Pace Divine Fist aims for his body. Anti-Demonic Eighteen Palms crushes his face.
Arhat Fist targets his legs. White Lotus Divine Fist grabs his shoulder to topple him.
Over ten arts exploding at once, all focused on him.
...But.
He didn't retreat.
Instead, hardened his gaze.
Whispers amid blazing flames. White Night was secondary from the start. Their bodies were tough; speed alone couldn't pierce.
Still used White Night to draw them in at once.
Among countless shadows, looks up. Tracks the moon's faint trace at his gaze's end.
Advances. Amid thick killing intent and precepts-breakers' assault, darkness gathers, but...
He sees it.
No matter how shadows swarm, moonlight is always above.
"If that's the world..."
Burn it. With blood-flame.
Seize what's beyond even death.
Advance through shadows. Overcome even if the world crumbles upon you.
Endure. Wriggle. Ignite.
The heat.
The heart!
Fire Wheel Blood Ghost Sword
Sixth Form
Blood-Staining Emissary - Grand Soul
Passing scenes bolster the sword.
"Gr-grand sir! Pl-please find my daughter! Please...! I'll give anything!"
"D-Dad... please find Dad..."
"M-my wife vanished. No matter... how much I search, she's gone. Please... please..."
The beast's hide howls. He howls louder.
Split the shadows...
"I'll tear it all apart...! That world of yours!"
To grasp the moonlight beyond.