Chapter 72
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Battlefield Transcendence
-----------------------------------------------------------------
'Where did this guy come from?'
The Mad Demon stared at Seo Mun-ha in utter amazement.
Calmly parrying each blow.
He showed no outward sign, but he inwardly regarded this once-in-a-millennium prodigy—who pressed his assault without tiring—as a talent truly worth coveting.
The nameless elder known as the Mad Demon was the Eighth Heaven, one of the pillars of the Sun-Moon Cult.
In all the decades since he'd risen to prominence, no young man had ever stirred his interest like this.
People act only on what they know, after all, so an opponent who so easily defied common sense was endlessly fascinating.
The Mad Demon's discernment was beyond that of ordinary folk, yet even his sharp eye and judgment had been proven wrong. This made him rethink all the Central Plains warriors he'd encountered before Seo Mun-ha.
Those Central Plains warriors were Dang Cheol-son and Seo Mun-gyeol.
'...Let's see what you've got.'
Seo Mun-ha lunged forward without hesitation.
He turned the tables, testing the Mad Demon—who had been playing along like an adult indulging a child's whims.
How different this was from back then.
A life-or-death rival made the perfect opponent for reviewing his honed martial prowess.
Shiiik!
Seo Mun-ha's skill had reached the Three Realms.
Once might be coincidence, but this divine prowess transcending the bounds of sparring drew every eye.
In truth, "unique" didn't even begin to describe it.
Exceptional inner energy without the corresponding enlightenment was common enough, but the opposite—profound insight without the power to back it—was almost unimaginable.
No matter how brilliant one's aptitude.
The sober pursuit of universal truths by monks, Taoists, and scholars made this plain.
Only when essence, energy, and spirit fused in perfect unity could one claim to have reached a realm. Seo Mun-ha, so utterly unbalanced, was a heretical mass of contradictions and anomalies.
'His body and mind aren't even in sync.'
Looking to precedent, it resembled a renowned warrior whose inner energy had been completely crippled.
In a youth not even twenty yet.
"Fine. Let's see the limits of your vessel."
Even the utterly impassive Mad Demon felt his heart stir.
How many geniuses throughout history could match him?
The elder took the first true step against this unripe fruit.
Hwaaak!
A wrinkled hand shot out, piercing the smoke shrouding the silhouette.
Creeeang!
Seo Mun-ha barely deflected it upward and leaped back.
Whoosh!
But his footwork, unbound by form, closed the gap in a single step.
'Hup!'
Seo Mun-ha couldn't shake off the Mad Demon now right in his face.
Paas.
The energy rippling over the hand gripped him tight.
A hand technique not even properly named.
Facing this formless motion, their true energies clashed in midair.
Kuwaaang!
Witnesses to the spectacle recoiled in horror, frozen in place.
'Young Master Seo Mun...'
Even Ha Eun-ye and the junior experts felt the same.
Called the Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks, they were mere shadows compared to this giant demon of old.
How could they turn away?
The overwhelming pressure and terror squeezing their hearts denied them even the mercy of closing their eyes.
Their senses had escaped reason's grasp.
Their bodies refused to obey.
Even battle-hardened warriors suffered under this alien sensation—what chance did ordinary folk have?
Kuung! Thung! Kwang!
Everyone knew they had to flee.
The moment the elder looked away, the moment Seo Mun-ha held his attention.
Prurr.
But not a soul could move freely.
'Bi-ryong?'
Amid the thunderous roars, only one steed could act.
Clack.
Bi-ryong approached on his own, snapping Ha Eun-ye from her trance.
Like awakening from a nightmare, she wrenched her rigid body into motion, inching forward bit by bit.
"Urk."
Just as she neared full freedom.
Puuung!
Another explosion echoed behind as Seo Mun-ha skidded across the ground.
Kigigik.
Blood welled up to his jaw, propped against his spear shaft.
His exterior seemed relatively intact, but blood oozed from large and small wounds now and then.
"Is that all you've got?"
The Mad Demon asked, his face coldly impassive.
"For someone so cocky, you're not putting up much fight."
"This... is just the beginning."
"Good. Try again."
He crooked a finger.
'Yongcheon, Danjung, Seongmun.'
Seo Mun-ha swiftly rose to the bait, surging a massive surge of inner power.
From lower to middle to upper body.
A single strike channeling his entire body's strength.
"Northern Guard Burst Spear..."
No clever feints would work.
The Mad Demon took the full brunt of his true power head-on.
His defenseless stance—arms spread wide—oozed arrogance.
Pang!
Seo Mun-ha rocketed forward like an arrow, slapping away the Mad Demon's outstretched hand with his spear shaft.
"Better than before?"
Merely two steps back.
As the elder recoiled with a veil of qi, Seo Mun-ha vanished from before him.
Swish.
Suddenly soaring skyward, he displayed extraordinary leaping power, then at the apex slowly flipped his torso into a straight line with the Mad Demon.
"Flame Essence Flash!"
Spear held high, Seo Mun-ha plummeted like lightning.
Shiiik!
For an instant, everyone's vision bleached white.
Kwaaaang!
A low storm then raged outward in all directions.
"Aaaack?!"
Those who stumbled in the shockwave cried out in chaos.
This broke the ice dam of their frozen thoughts, letting reason flow freely once more.
Whirric.
The winds showed no sign of stopping.
As the dark clouds parted, people belatedly scattered in panic.
The ensuing uproar spread uncontrollably like wildfire, but Seo Mun-ha—at the peak of focus—ignored his surroundings, devoting every nerve to the Mad Demon.
Creeeck.
The Mad Demon, aware of his environment, furrowed his brow slightly.
'He still has reserves left in a place like this?'
Amazement turned to incredulity.
Seo Mun-ha's defiance of expectations, combined with this unintended chaos, sparked a flicker of impatience.
Even a once-in-history genius shouldn't withstand more than twenty percent of his power, the Mad Demon had thought.
Grriiit.
But that was a miscalculation.
Twenty percent swelled to thirty, thirty to forty.
Lost in selflessness, Seo Mun-ha wielded the dark energy flowing between his hands like limbs, his endless divine skill sending a momentary chill of fear through the Mad Demon.
Three steps, four...
The increasingly active Mad Demon stared at Seo Mun-ha in disbelief.
Each exchange honed his qi sense sharper.
His techniques grew more refined, waste diminishing.
As if his mismatched flesh were adapting to essence and energy, his vessel visibly filled.
In simple terms, he was evolving mid-battle.
Paat!
The Mad Demon suddenly roared.
The sharp edge of dark energy grazing his face made his hair stand on end; he was forced to unleash fifty percent power.
Hwaaak!
Wielding tangible qi—strong qi—the Mad Demon revealed a reddish glow.
Creeeeeng!
A casual swing.
Energy rivaling millennia-forged steel rent the air with explosive force, followed by a sonic boom.
Creeeang—!
In other words, if his weapon matched millennia-steel, sword qi or spear qi could contend somewhat.
The strain on the body would be immense, of course.
But before he was Seo Mun-ha, he was one who had cultivated monstrously powerful arts.
Enduring the burden, he clashed with the Mad Demon, shaking heaven and earth.
No reason to hold back.
It had been ages since he'd felt such tension and exhilaration.
His long-held expectations finally surfaced...
Smolder.
A trickle of inner power flowed through the twelve meridians.
Smolder.
Circulating from the Leg Bright Stomach Meridian to the Arm Lesser Yang Triple Burner Meridian.
Rising qi enveloped Seo Mun-ha, his cleared eyes shining brighter than before.
Four Realms, Perceptive Eyes.
Five Realms, Entering Divinity.
Six Realms, Infinite Void.
Seo Mun-ha, at superhuman heights, unified essence, energy, and spirit, opening his eyes fully.
"Si Dragon Seven Slaughters."
This showed the stark difference immediately.
Saaak.
The exact same technique as before—one he'd already countered—left the Mad Demon unable to hide his shock.
Pababak!
What had once dominated the area now flowed smoothly along the foe's path without resistance.
"...!"
The reason was simple.
The Mad Demon's path, once invisible, was now clear.
Warriors who spoke and saw with qi needed inner power to sense it.
His vastly expanded qi sense was worlds apart from before—a realm he'd subconsciously aimed for all along, if unintended.
From Si Dragon Seven Slaughters to Four Spirits Annihilation.
Kwaaaa!
Having deliberately repeated the technique to test himself, he reflected inward.
The Mad Demon had no time to ponder the approaching circular flow and dark spear tip.
'Tch!'
Caught off-guard, he kicked off the ground hard before protective strong qi could form.
Counting steps was pointless now.
Though his pride was bruised, his true dignity meant nothing to him.
For in his lifetime, he'd never suffered a greater shock.
His gaze toward Seo Mun-ha was like beholding a ghost.
"You're a monster."
Even decades of dual cultivation of body and mind rarely breached the Mid Realm wall.
Countless warriors entered secluded training for it; breaking through mid-battle was unheard of.
'Where in the Central Plains could another like him exist?'
Not even throughout history.
Shake.
Putting fleeting thoughts aside, the Mad Demon's face hardened coldly.
'I have to kill him.'
Fortunately, what he feared was the rising star's talent, not his current power.
'No matter what.'
Now was easy enough. But next time? No guarantees.
His growth was meteoric, if misunderstood somewhat, but as mortal enemies, nothing had changed.
"Huu."
Regulating his breath, Seo Mun-ha gathered his qi and assumed stance.
"What more praise does he need beyond 'extraordinary'?"
The Mad Demon murmured lowly, drawing up his full power.
"But your luck has run out."
A talent even heaven might envy.
Becoming a grandmaster at that age would be effortless; he bowed to no one.
A ruler of the world, standing diametrically opposed to the Sun-Moon Cult's ambitions.
Crackle.
Pebbles rolled at the Mad Demon's feet as resolve hardened.
"Blame the heavens!"
Crushing them lightly, he revealed his killing intent.
This world-shattering power was aimed solely at ending one man.