Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: A Formidable Foe, the Seventh Demonic Emperor!
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I infused all ninety years of my internal energy into the Fire Dragon Sword and unleashed the Azure Wall Thunder, one of the Three Absolutes of the Azure Sky.
RUMBLE!
With a roar of thunder, four streaks of azure lightning shot out from the Fire Dragon Sword.
This wasn't the fearsome Yang Essence contained within the Fire Dragon Sword, but merely four simple bolts of lightning.
CLANG!
But to my surprise, the enemies blocked all four bolts. Since their swords hadn't directly clashed with the Fire Dragon Sword, all four blades remained intact.
Impressive. Even without Yang Essence, the lightning unleashed by the Fire Dragon Sword with ninety years of internal energy was powerful enough to bore a hole half a foot deep into solid rock.
The four men were pushed back by the impact, but they seemed neither injured nor particularly shaken.
The Life-Reapers and Soul-Suppressors were truly top-tier masters. To kill them with the Azure Wall Thunder, it seemed I would have to take them down one by one.
This situation was completely different from when I fought ten Life-Reapers before.
Right now, they were working in perfect coordination, always attacking together in groups of two, three, or five, unleashing their full potential.
If one fell or retreated, another one or two would instantly fill the gap, launching completely unexpected attacks.
This was the first time I'd faced a battle like this since entering the martial world. I had unleashed four bolts of Azure Wall Thunder at four men, and all four had blocked it.
‘I have no choice but to kill them one by one!’
This time, I unleashed the Azure Wall Thunder again, concentrating it into a single bolt aimed at the nearest Soul-Suppressor.
RUMBLE!
The targeted Soul-Suppressor hastily executed a sword technique to meet the attack, while his comrades on either side moved to assist.
But it was impossible to block or evade a single bolt of Azure Wall Thunder, which was far faster and more powerful than the four separate streaks.
CRACK!
“Haaak!”
The thick bolt of lightning shattered the Soul-Suppressor's sword, pierced through his chest, and erupted from his back.
His entire body became a blazing fireball as he was sent flying through the air.
But the moment I killed that one Soul-Suppressor, attacks rained down on me from multiple directions.
*Swish! Whoosh!*
I tensed up, my fighting spirit blazing.
‘If I don't kill them, I'll be the one to die!’
I swung the Fire Dragon Sword so fast it was invisible to the naked eye, blocking all the attacks.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Infused with internal energy, the enemy swords wouldn't break from a normal impact, even against the Fire Dragon Sword.
‘So that's how it is?’
I activated the Five Elements Divine Finger, shooting Azure-White Ice Flowers from three fingers of my left hand toward the enemies, while simultaneously unleashing the Myriad Calamities Lightning, another of the Three Absolutes of the Azure Sky, with the Fire Dragon Sword in my right hand to cut down another foe.
*Vwoosh! Pssshhht!*
I couldn't guarantee a kill if I attacked two men at once with the Fire Dragon Sword, so I focused on just one.
Few people could execute different martial arts with their left and right hands simultaneously, but I could.
Also, this time, it wasn't just ordinary lightning like before. I unleashed the very essence of lightning that the Fire Dragon Sword possessed—the Yang Essence.
*Fwoosh! Thwump!*
The two men struck by the Azure-White Ice Flowers turned into blocks of ice, while the Myriad Calamities Lightning incinerated two more—one in front and another behind him—before smashing into the cabin behind them.
*FWOOSH!*
The cabin instantly caught fire and began to burn.
If the ship burned, we couldn't continue the fight and would have to escape. Setting the ship on fire was a last resort.
My plan was to fight to the end and only burn the ship to escape if all else failed.
I quickly scanned my surroundings, looking for Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo.
About fifty feet away on the deck, dozens of enemies were swarming someone, attacking from the ground and the air. Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had to be in the middle of them, but I couldn't see her through the crowd.
“Keuk!”
A single scream erupted from within their midst.
I could hear the loud whoosh of the enemies' weapons slicing through the air and the screams, but not the sound of swords clashing.
That meant Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was evading all of their attacks without blocking a single one with her sword, all while killing them.
“Waaak!”
Three breaths later, another scream came from her direction.
I had no time to keep worrying about her. I converted Yin Essence into internal energy, infusing the Fire Dragon Sword with one hundred and ten years' worth.
Then, I met the five swords coming at me from various directions with my Fire Dragon Sword.
CLANG!
Not only did the five attackers' swords break, but their right arms were also mangled into a bloody mess. They staggered back, spitting blood from their noses and mouths.
Not missing the opportunity, I charged two of them who were retreating in the same direction and unleashed my sword qi.
*Fwoosh!*
Just then, a powerful aura suddenly descended from above.
*WHOOSH!*
But I ignored what was above me and pierced the two men with my sword qi.
“Keuk!”
In that instant, I felt a sharp edge and a heavy pressure rush down, now just two feet above my head.
‘Huh!’
The Life-Reapers and Soul-Suppressors I'd been fighting so far weren't this fast or powerful.
I quickly twisted and flipped my upper body to dodge, and as I looked up, my eyes widened slightly.
‘A Demonic Lord!’
The Life-Reapers and Soul-Suppressors wore black and red robes, but the man in his fifties now bringing down a great saber with both hands from ten feet above wore a robe of three mixed colors.
*WHIRRRR!*
As he swung down with his menacing, dark azure saber aura, the bold red characters for 'Seventh Demonic Emperor' (七魔皇) were clearly embroidered on the chest of the Demonic Lord.
This man was the Seventh Demonic Lord of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Nine Demonic Lords, commonly known in the martial world as the 'Seventh Demonic Emperor'.
The Nine Demonic Lords of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union were on a completely different level from the Nine Demonic Kings, who were equivalent to regional masters. For starters, the titles 'King' and 'Emperor' were worlds apart.
The saber aura the Seventh Demonic Emperor was unleashing now was incomparable to that of the former Sword Demon King of Zhejiang, Nu Jinsang. No, Nu Jinsang couldn't even manifest his aura externally.
“Well, look at this.”
I had just moved five feet to the side, but the Seventh Demonic Emperor's saber aura changed direction and was still coming right for me.
For a moment, I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to deal with the incoming saber aura, but it turned out to be unnecessary.
My body was already reacting on its own.
*VWOOOM!*
'It's Heaven Break!'
The first stance of the Heaven-Severing Divine Sword: Heaven Break.
Before I could even think of a plan, my body had already executed the Sky-Soaring Heavenly Ascent, rising to meet the Seventh Demonic Emperor as the Fire Dragon Sword unleashed Heaven Break.
Moreover, what erupted from the Fire Dragon Sword was crimson lightning. Not just any lightning, but lightning imbued with Yang Essence.
*KRA-KOOM!*
As the saber aura and sword qi collided, the Yang Essence scattered, raining down a shower of fire.
The force of the impact sent the Seventh Demonic Emperor flying upward. I followed him with the Sky-Soaring Heavenly Ascent, facing him in mid-air as I unleashed the second stance of the Heaven-Severing Divine Sword: Heaven Control.
*VWOOOM!*
The moment I judged Heaven Control to be the most suitable sword technique for this situation, my body was already executing it.
In previous fights, the sheer power of the Fire Dragon Sword had been enough to shatter any weapon it met. But against the Seventh Demonic Emperor, the sword alone wasn't enough, so I had infused it with Yang Essence.
The Seventh Demonic Emperor didn't dodge either, meeting my attack head-on.
*WHIRRRR!*
The sound of the Seventh Demonic Emperor's great saber cutting through the air was so heavy it made me shudder.
Yet, the Seventh Demonic Emperor wielded the two-handed great saber faster than a skilled one-handed swordsman, even though it felt at least ten times heavier than a sword.
Because it was infused with saber aura, the great saber didn't break even when it clashed violently with the Fire Dragon Sword.
CLANG!
‘Ugh!’
What's more, I was being pushed back.
‘Heaven Control is being pushed back?’
I realized I wasn't being outmatched in technique, but in internal energy. And I noticed that the Seventh Demonic Emperor wasn't releasing his saber aura externally, but infusing it into his great saber.
‘This is a real fight!’
I didn't feel a shred of fear. Instead, an intense fighting spirit I'd never felt before ignited within me.
‘This man is far stronger than the Fifteen Venerables of the Martial World!’
Sang Gang-jo had told me about the supreme masters of the martial world: the Fifteen Venerables, the Eight Absolutes Under Heaven, and the Four Marvels of the Realm.
But from what I could see, there seemed to be more unknown supreme masters than known ones. Like the Seventh Demonic Emperor I was facing now.
CLANG! CLANG!
My one hundred and ten years of internal energy, including twenty years of Yin Essence, was being overpowered. That meant the Seventh Demonic Emperor had at least two sixty-year cycles' worth—over one hundred and twenty years of internal energy.
The Seventh Demonic Emperor's five-foot-long great saber was both infused and coated with saber aura, increasing its power three or fourfold.
Normally, aura could be used in three ways: projecting it outwards, extending the length of a blade with it, or coating the blade as he was doing now. The third method signified mastery in combat—in technique.
Even as I was being pushed back, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
First, it was a stroke of luck to meet such a powerful opponent. Second, I would be happy fighting him. And third, because in the end, I would be the one to win.
‘Ugh!’
But in reality, I was still being pushed back.
What's more, there were three more Demonic Lords this powerful. It was truly one obstacle after another.
While I fought the Seventh Demonic Emperor, the Life-Reapers and Soul-Suppressors kept their distance, merely watching without interfering.
They weren't doing this to uphold some demonic code. It was because they believed the Seventh Demonic Emperor could kill me on his own in a one-on-one fight.
*SWISH! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*
‘Ugh!’
Even while being pushed back, I was worried about Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo. But first, I had to deal with the fire at my feet—the Seventh Demonic Emperor.
If I drew out more Yin Essence and converted it into internal energy, one hundred and thirty, no, one hundred and forty years' worth should be enough to overpower him.
I tried to draw out more Yin Essence, but then I stopped.
‘Hm?’
The Yin Essence wouldn't convert into internal energy anymore. I drew a mass of Yin Essence from my Stone Gate acupoint and sent it to my Sea of Qi acupoint, but it remained separate, refusing to merge with my internal energy.
I immediately understood why. I had converted and used twenty years of Yin Essence several times before, but never more than that.
In other words, twenty years was the limit to how much Yin Essence I could convert into internal energy at one time.
‘I'm in trouble.’
It seemed I could convert more if I had time to do it slowly, but I had no such luxury right now.
With only one hundred and ten years of internal energy, and in a head-on clash like this, I couldn't beat the Seventh Demonic Emperor, no matter how superior my techniques were.
I couldn't surpass him in speed or power.
There was the option of unleashing pure Yang or Yin Essence to burn him to a crisp or freeze him solid, but right now, I wanted to fight fair and win with martial arts alone.
*WHIRRRR!*
The Seventh Demonic Emperor's great saber was so fast and ferocious that it completely dominated the ten-foot radius around him.
I had never seen the saber art he was using, but it was incredibly tyrannical and purely offensive.
Each swing of his great saber carried an immense pressure, as if a mountain were crumbling.
The Seventh Demonic Emperor wasn't defending at all. Since he had the upper hand, he had no reason to.
The only saving grace was that, compared to the martial arts I had mastered, the saber art he was using wasn't supreme.
To kill me, one would need superior internal energy and techniques more profound than mine. The Seventh Demonic Emperor fell short in the latter.
Of course, in this situation, unless I used my Yang and Yin Essence, I couldn't kill him either and would be stuck on the defensive.
Just then, the great saber, glowing dark azure with saber aura, came chopping down toward the crown of my head.
*VWOOOM!*