Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Divine Demon (3)
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After hearing the whole story from the Demonic Doctor, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was silent for a time.
Was it fury at the crow’s betrayal, or despair at his own powerlessness?
“…Hah.”
To think a demonic being who had lived for over a thousand years could harbor such complex emotions.
A hollow laugh spread across the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s lips.
But that laugh soon contorted into a wrinkled scowl.
*Rumble…*
The air around him began to boil.
Like a dormant volcano suddenly roaring to life, the fury that erupted from the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon became a hellfire, engulfing the area three yards around him.
The Demonic Doctor instinctively raised his right hand to cover his nose and mouth. But his ears could not escape the heat.
“Kugh!”
The pain was so intense it felt as if the heat had pierced through his ear canals and seared his very marrow, but the Demonic Doctor endured.
Making a single wrong move in front of the raging Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon would get his head blown off.
After what felt like an eternity, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon finally spoke.
“I will not simply sit back and take this.”
As the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s body trembled, his inner energy calming, the Demonic Doctor whispered in a small voice.
“I was just about to present a treasure to you, Divine Demon.”
“I don’t need it!”
As the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon roared, the Demonic Doctor took out the item he had prepared.
“Surely you recognize this, Divine Demon?”
“…That is!”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s eyes flew wide open.
* * *
*Step, step.*
“…”
“…”
It had already been a week since they began their silent walk toward Mount Baiyun in Jiangxi.
Though the stifling silence should have been enough to make someone break, the martial artists all maintained their quiet resolve.
Even Nameless and the Master of the Dark Clouds, who were usually fond of talking, remained solemn. What more could be said of the others?
If anything, their tension only grew as they neared Mount Baiyun, their vigilance sharpening.
When the tenth day arrived.
Ouyang Jue was the first to stop. Following his lead, Nameless and Liu Zhangming each placed a hand on their weapon.
“…!”
Seeing the three’s reaction, the rest of the group prepared for battle. No, they had each felt it instinctively.
Fear was coming.
An unavoidable death was coming.
The demonic being who had slain even a Buddha was approaching.
Ouyang Jue tensed every muscle in his body. A perfect mix of tension and excitement for the coming battle made his head feel hot.
Soon, the All-Seeing Eyes within Ouyang Jue’s pupils caught sight of the uninvited guest who had suddenly appeared.
“Show yourself!”
No sooner had Ouyang Jue drawn Severing Manifestation and pointed its tip in one direction than…
*Rumble…!*
A corner of Mount Baiyun vibrated, and tree roots shook the dirt from their bodies. The demonic energy that suddenly manifested soared as if to cover the sky.
The presence felt from beyond the trees was so immense, it was reminiscent of an absolute being.
“So there was a sharp-eyed one among you.”
A heavy voice echoed throughout Mount Baiyun, crashing down upon the expedition team. Those with weaker internal energy instantly turned pale and began to vomit blood.
“Kuhack, keoheok…!”
Wi Jin-cheon’s condition was particularly severe; he retched repeatedly, as if trying to cough up his very soul.
Seeing this, Nameless’s face hardened.
“You bastard!”
Nameless kicked off the air, his body becoming a streak of light that vanished over the ridge.
In that time, Ouyang Jue rushed to Wi Jin-cheon’s side and checked his pulse.
While he was concerned for him, he also intended to gauge the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s current state through Nameless.
After all, the last person the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon had fought was the Forgetting Sword, Seo Mun-hwi.
He had reasoned that no matter how powerful the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was, he must have sustained some damage.
“…Mmm.”
But upon sensing Wi Jin-cheon’s depleted essence, Ouyang Jue quickly took out a pill he had brought from Mount Hua and placed it in the man’s mouth.
The moment Ouyang Jue held Wi Jin-cheon’s jaw to make him chew with his own teeth…
*Crack!*
A sound like something being torn apart.
The ominous noise that filled Mount Baiyun pierced Ouyang Jue’s ears.
Before he could even guess what had happened to Nameless, a man appeared.
“Let’s make one thing clear.”
“…….”
“You will all die here.”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon declared it in a calm tone, as if his words were an established fact.
As if in response, an axe-wielding master revealed his killing intent.
“Arrogant…!”
“Who’s the arrogant one here?”
A hollow laugh spread across the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s entire face.
“How dare a mortal who cannot even live for a hundred years call me, known as an Ancient Demon, arrogant?”
Not even the monks called living Buddhas could enlighten him, nor could the strongest masters of the martial world, who bore the title of Asura, defeat him.
That was the meaning of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
Absolutely incorruptible, and undefeatable. The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon held great pride in his name.
Above all, his pride in having lived the longest among the Eight Evils had not faded, no matter how much time had passed.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon clenched his fist.
*Crack!*
The air tore between his knuckles, followed by a thunderous boom.
Ouyang Jue sensed a firm resolve from him.
Perhaps the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, like the Black Dragon at Mount Mo against him and the Omniscient One, was also prepared for death.
A single drop of sweat trickled down Ouyang Jue’s cheek.
He had a rough idea of what had happened to Nameless.
‘They say a blow from an ordinary fist master sounds like a leather drum bursting… but what about from the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon?’
The body would be crushed, not even a bone fragment left behind. Ouyang Jue recalled the sound he had just heard and shuddered lightly.
Could a single mistake get him killed, just like Nameless?
‘Is Nameless even alive right now?’
Ouyang Jue’s worry and tension manifested as a slight tremble at the tip of Severing Manifestation.
Noticing this, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon pointed to one of his legs and smiled.
“I intend to collect the debt owed by Seo Mun-hwi from you instead. Is that all right?”
For a moment, Ouyang Jue didn’t understand and tilted his head.
The leg the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was pointing to seemed perfectly fine.
Though he couldn’t tell what was under the casually worn robes, the demon’s words suggested an unseen problem.
Ouyang Jue’s lips parted slightly.
“I’m fine with accepting a drink, but I don’t have a hobby of paying off other people’s debts.”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon shook his head lightly.
“Amusing.”
While their exchange took place, the martial artists of the expedition team were struggling to suppress their astonishment.
What on earth had Ouyang Jue been through to be able to converse with one of the Eight Evils as an equal?
Even the Leader of the Martial Alliance, Peng Tianyu, couldn’t hide his tension.
—What are your orders, Leader!
—…Let’s watch a little longer.
At the words of Seo Mun-yeol, the vice-commander of the Black Wind Unit, Peng Tianyu ordered him to wait.
But Ouyang Jue’s thoughts were quite different.
The distance between the Martial Alliance’s expedition team and the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was roughly thirty paces.
A distance beyond the reach of swords, and even spears. Yet, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s demeanor held a certain conviction.
‘Does he have a way to attack from thirty paces away?’
Ouyang Jue carefully observed the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon with his All-Seeing Eyes.
But the killing intent and demonic energy emanating from the demon licked at Ouyang Jue, Liu Zhangming, and the rest of the team.
As if refusing to tolerate even being watched, his protective aura, clouded with demonic energy, distorted Ouyang Jue’s vision.
It would only take an instant for the expedition team to charge, or for the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon to attack.
As both sides raised their internal energy in preparation for the decisive battle, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon suddenly asked Ouyang Jue a question.
“Did the Black Dragon go with a clear heart?”
In response, Ouyang Jue did not speak, only nodding his head lightly.
At that, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon let out a small, empty laugh.
“Indeed. If it were otherwise, I wouldn’t be sensing the aura of Dragon’s Blood from you.”
“…”
Ouyang Jue still did not reply. But one thing bothered him.
‘Could the vision I saw ten days ago have come from the Dragon’s Blood?’
As soon as the thought occurred, Ouyang Jue erased it from his mind.
The mention of regression implied a connection from a past life, not the current one, so it was clearly a different matter.
It was then.
A heat haze shimmered between the two groups.
The sky, at the end of spring and hurtling toward summer, had risen to a temperature sufficient to warm the body.
The moment the heat haze toyed with Ouyang Jue’s vision, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon unleashed his first strike.
*Kwaarrrrrumble!*
A sound like the sky collapsing tore through their ears, and the ground cracked like a spiderweb. The roots of trees that must have lived for decades were exposed from the soil.
At that moment, Peng Tianyu shouted in a voice tinged with blood.
“Formation!”
*Ruuuumble…*
The energy that seemed capable of shattering the heavens and earth was contained by the expedition team’s formation. But the demonic energy was already on the verge of exploding. The masters, including the Black Wind Unit, broke out in a cold sweat.
Of course, Ouyang Jue couldn’t remain still either.
*Kaaang!*
The demonic qi instantly swallowed his vision. Ouyang Jue gritted his teeth and channeled Purple Mist True Energy into Severing Manifestation.
The blade of plum blossoms that cuts through darkness.
The sword qi forged from Purple Mist True Energy became a sword wave, drawing a single, thin line.
‘It’s not enough.’
Ouyang Jue clenched his jaw so hard he could taste blood.
If he, on the front line, couldn’t overcome the demonic art, what would happen to the expedition team in the rear?
They wouldn’t be annihilated in a single blow, but the damage would accumulate. Half of them might die before they could even get close to the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
*Grip.*
He poured seventy percent of his power into his hand gripping Severing Manifestation. The taut muscles squeezed the hilt as if to crush it.
“Hoo.”
A light exhale became vitality, igniting the kindling of his entire body.
And a person came to stand beside Ouyang Jue.
“I’ll help too.”
In the darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, Liu Zhangming’s calm voice eased Ouyang Jue’s tension.
“I don’t know what kind of demonic art this is, but it can’t possibly be stronger than the martial arts of Mount Hua, can it?”
“Ha, haha…”
Words that would make one of the Eight Evils faint from shock, yet Liu Zhangming spoke them as if they were a matter of course.
Ouyang Jue let out a dry laugh and readjusted his grip on Severing Manifestation. The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon’s ultimate technique, the Soul-Chasing Demon Wall, was now right before his eyes.
*Kwaaaang!*
Liu Zhangming’s sword tip split the sky, and Ouyang Jue’s Severing Manifestation sliced through space.
The martial arts displayed by the two senior brothers were at the very peak of the supreme level.
But the Soul-Chasing Demon Wall unleashed by the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon refused to scatter, slowly advancing toward the expedition team.
Watching this, Ouyang Jue frowned.
‘Do I have to use an ultimate technique already?’
They weren’t even engaged in close combat yet. Wasting stamina needlessly would make the future of this fight daunting.
When the opponent was the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, he had to be even more careful.
*Sssss…*
The Soul-Chasing Demon Wall began to eat away at Ouyang Jue, turning his robes to dust. He could see that even the incredibly durable Severing Manifestation was starting to corrode.
‘Dammit.’
The moment Ouyang Jue’s eyes widened with resolve…
“You goddamn bastard!”
*Kwoong!*
A typhoon created by profound internal energy easily scattered the Soul-Chasing Demon Wall.
Judging by the uniquely pure energy of the Daoist arts, it could only be him.
“Nameless!”
He had thought Nameless was dead at the hands of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
As Ouyang Jue looked at him with relief in his eyes, Nameless grinned and wiped the blood flowing from his forehead.
“The Fist Star is invincible! Watch, my disciple. This is the power of the martial art you have inherited!”
*Wooooo…*
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon sensed the energy of the Heavenly Escape Mind Arts from Nameless and watched with a look of interest.