Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Divine Demon (5)
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The moment the two warriors and the demonic creature exchanged glances.
*CRACK!*
Without a moment's hesitation, the three men tore through the air, swinging their weapons.
*CLANG!*
Severing Manifestation and the Dragon's Tear Sword.
They were peerless treasures, swords whose quality was difficult to match, yet they only produced a powerless shower of sparks against the skin of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
And the power of his demonic energy, vast enough to blanket the heavens!
His immense protective aura was a veritable wall. Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming were the blades chipping away at that wall, the battering ram against the fortress.
*BOOM, CRACKLE!*
The noise ravaged White Cloud Mountain. Tall trees swayed, and beasts howled at the sudden threat.
“Grrr! Grrr!”
Seeing the wide eyes of the extermination squad, Ouyang Jue realized he could no longer hide his true strength.
Was he afraid?
Inwardly, Ouyang Jue shook his head.
*CLANG!*
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's fist struck Severing Manifestation, and black demonic energy consumed his vision.
The demonic energy grazed the nape of his neck, as if to snatch his life in an instant. A sudden chill washed over him, making his wrist falter for a moment.
“……!”
Seizing the opening, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's attack, the Blood-Treading Kick, shot forward like a beam of light.
*RUMBLE…!*
The pressure from the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's grasp made the very air feel heavy, and his demonic energy was potent enough to drain the life from his surroundings.
But even as he watched, Ouyang Jue didn't lose his smile.
Not because he was confident he could block it, but because he knew he wasn't alone.
The instant Ouyang Jue tilted his head, Liu Zhangming's sword form unfurled.
*SWOOSH—!*
If the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's Blood-Treading Kick was a serpent striking at a vital point, Liu Zhangming's sword was more than enough to sever its head.
It was half a move too late to target Liu Zhangming.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon clicked his tongue, halted his attack, and retreated.
“Truly, utterly bothersome…”
*This is absurd.*
Liu Zhangming conveyed to Ouyang Jue, his thoughts laced with irritation.
*Just what kind of creatures are these Eight Evils, to retract such a powerful technique without batting an eye?*
*That's why we call them monsters.*
Ouyang Jue replied, licking his dry lips.
*It's working.*
His training had not been in vain.
That alone was enough to make a fierce fighting spirit boil within Ouyang Jue.
He had seen with his own eyes that even one of the Eight Evils, who had seemed so untouchably distant, could be wounded if his blade could just reach him.
Ouyang Jue took a shallow breath, reining in the surge of excitement and replacing it with calm.
*And I was right.*
Despite his composure, Ouyang Jue's eyes burned with an intense light.
His decision to stay put under the tree right after throwing the stone had been the right one.
It meant the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon had a definite weakness, and it also proved that Seo Mun-hwi had not died in vain.
Yes.
Seo Mun-hwi had fought one of the Eight Evils to the very end.
Ouyang Jue raised Severing Manifestation high, his mind replaying all his training.
Faster, sharper, and… heavier.
Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
All the sword arts he had strived for, and the process he had undergone to make them his own, now flowed from him.
It was the moment his two years of training finally came to fruition.
*SHIING!*
“……?!”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's face hardened as the materialized demonic energy was instantly sliced apart.
Even sword energy capable of slicing through cloud-iron couldn't disperse his demonic aura, yet Ouyang Jue's attack had just cleaved the materialized demonic energy in two.
The demonic barrier he, one of the Eight Evils, had created!
As the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's aura sharpened, Liu Zhangming halted his assault and gave Ouyang Jue a hand signal.
But Ouyang Jue, as if lost in a trance, swung his sword once more.
*CRACK!*
The sharpness contained within Severing Manifestation tore through the air, parting it like a curtain.
A sense of liberation washed over Ouyang Jue.
Nothing could obstruct the path of his sword.
Was this not why he had invested everything in the Mount Hua Sect's sword arts, rather than the techniques from his past life?
His unwavering faith in the sword arts became a tangible will, coating the edge of Severing Manifestation.
At the same time, Ouyang Jue clenched his jaw, his lips twisting into a sneer.
“Did you think you couldn't lose?”
“…You cur.”
The faint tremor in his voice quickly turned to rage—fury at feeling such an emotion toward a paltry foe.
Ouyang Jue savored the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's reaction as he swung Severing Manifestation from left to right.
If the demon retreated now, Ouyang Jue could seize the momentum.
For a moment, Seo Mun-hwi's face flashed before Ouyang Jue's eyes.
He had only revealed his face in the sunlight for a single moment, a moment when they were all desperately fleeing.
But how could he ever forget the face of the man who had willingly sacrificed himself for his senior brother and him?
Ouyang Jue glared fiercely at the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
“In the end, aren't you the one feeling threatened by the very mortal you scorned?”
“Insolent…!”
Seeing the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon bite his lower lip, Ouyang Jue grinned.
“Don't say that. It makes you look weak.”
*GRIP.*
Rather than executing a complex technique, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon simply clenched his fist, planning to deflect Ouyang Jue's attack with his protective aura and strike him in the solar plexus.
No matter how much Ouyang Jue's skill had grown, and even with Liu Zhangming present, they couldn't possibly exploit such a fleeting opening.
His protective aura might take a hit, but it was a worthy trade if it meant killing Ouyang Jue.
Just as the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's eyes sharpened with intent.
*CRACK!*
The sound of the protective aura being pierced echoed through the area.
As the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon frowned, the warriors bound by the demonic energy began to break free, one after another, depending on the depth of their internal energy.
“……!”
And before Peng Tianyu could even order the attack, the entire extermination squad charged at the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
The fury of Seo Mun-yeol, Vice-Commander of the Black Wind Unit, was especially palpable.
“To think he made us stand by and watch, completely helpless!”
The fact that they could only stand and watch was a blow to their pride.
Furthermore, he gritted his teeth, convinced that the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon had used some form of dark magic—sorcery.
The rage at being toyed with by such a bizarre technique spread like wildfire, heating the atmosphere.
“Fellow warriors, do you intend to just stand by and watch our juniors fight so desperately?!”
For a brief moment, a sinister energy swirled within Peng Tianyu's clenched fist.
It was so fleeting that even Ouyang Jue didn't notice, yet at that presence, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's eyes flickered for an instant before returning to normal.
No, he had no choice but to look away.
*CLANG!*
Having pierced the protective aura once, Ouyang Jue's attacks grew increasingly fierce, gradually beginning to tear at the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's flesh.
Thus, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon forged an armor of demonic energy, shaped like overlapping mandalas. But sustaining internal injuries was unavoidable.
Seizing the opportunity, Ouyang Jue took a step forward.
*THUD!*
A stomp that combined his body weight, internal energy, and the force from his previous attack.
It was obvious what would follow.
*A joint attack with Liu Zhangming, or that ultimate technique of his, the Single-Point Convergence?*
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon maintained his fist aura and struck the air with his palm.
*BOOM!*
It was an attack meant to shatter the ground beneath Ouyang Jue's feet and break his balance. But Ouyang Jue's response was completely different from before.
“…”
Strange words slipped from Ouyang Jue's lips. It wasn't Han characters, nor the tongue of some minority tribe. Yet, for some reason, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon sensed it was a structured language.
And just as he expected, the moment the words ended, a talisman in Ouyang Jue's possession burst into flames.
*A talisman from the Omniscient One!*
For an instant, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's armor dissipated.
But it hadn't vanished completely, so the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon decided to seize this opening and crush the now-defenseless Ouyang Jue's skull.
He paid it no mind and channeled demonic energy into both fists.
At that moment, Liu Zhangming channeled an immense amount of Purple Mist True Energy into the Dragon's Tear Sword.
“……?!”
Several warriors who saw this immediately fell back, while Peng Tianyu and Seo Mun-yeol's mouths fell slightly agape.
Surprise, and a hint of jealousy, filled their eyes.
*To possess such a presence at his age?*
The presence Liu Zhangming displayed in that instant was comparable to that of any master, so much so that they couldn't help but reflect on themselves at that age.
Then, Liu Zhangming murmured in a low voice.
“Plum Blossom Three Ridges Sword.”
“……?”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon tilted his head at those words, but it mattered little.
Merely muttering the name of the technique brought his unique sword path into shimmering focus within Liu Zhangming's vision.
An incomplete sword art, born from the arrogance of a successor who claimed he could surpass the Plum Blossom Sword Arts—created by Hakdaetong—with just three moves.
That was the Three Ridges Sword, a technique that all had abandoned.
Yet, Liu Zhangming's face showed no trace of arrogance, nor any anxiety about using an incomplete technique.
Only serenity.
In his approach to the sword, one could only feel boundless reverence.
*SHIVER!*
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon frowned, sensing a lack of humanity in him. For a fleeting moment, a sense of unease washed over him.
It was a feeling that stung the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's pride.
“Do you think a whelp like you can kill me?!”
Pivoting on his back foot, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon instantly unleashed two ultimate techniques.
First Fist, Mountain Breaker; Second Fist, Heaven's Cry.
These were the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's signature techniques, the very same he had used to kill Seo Mun-hwi in the Sword Zen Grotto, and techniques he should not be using now that he relied on a prosthetic leg.
*CLANG!*
First Fist, Mountain Breaker. A single punch that could shatter a mountain.
“Wh-what is this!”
“Don't panic! Hold your positions! The joint formation must not break!”
Despite Peng Tianyu's fervent shouts, all the masters sensed their impending defeat.
Just a single blow.
With a single motion, similar to a Shaolin straight punch, five masters were killed, and eleven weapons shattered like sugarcane.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Second Fist, Heaven's Cry.
The second punch could make the heavens weep.
*GOOOONG—!*
At the sudden, monstrous sound, Nameless, who was nearby, scowled deeply. The members of the Black Wind Unit guarding the left and right flanks of the formation spurted blood from their seven orifices.
Was this not like the fabled sonic art of the Blood Sound Thunder Master?
The unearthly sound born from the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's second fist was enough to rupture internal organs.
And Liu Zhangming, standing directly in its path, felt the undeniable premonition of death.
But he neither flinched nor looked away. It felt like a familiar brush with death.
As capillaries burst in his eyes, staining his vision red, Liu Zhangming muttered to himself.
“Can you do it?”
To that, Ouyang Jue immediately replied.
“Of course.”
“You go first. I'll follow.”
The very instant the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's Heaven's Cry was about to strike Liu Zhangming, Ouyang Jue's form vanished like melting snow.
A moment later, he reappeared before the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's fist.
*CLANG!*
“……!”
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon watched in astonishment as his own fist was gradually forced downward.
Ouyang Jue was weaker than him, and his reserves of internal energy were not as vast.
So why was he being pushed back so helplessly?
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's gaze shifted below his fist, and a sudden rage erupted from deep within him.
“You bastard!”
Ouyang Jue had struck him squarely on his prosthetic leg with his scabbard and was using it as leverage to push him back.
With such a weak foundation, it was only natural that he couldn't put his full power behind the blow.
Ouyang Jue sensed victory and gave the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon a faint smile.
“I'll make sure your companion follows right behind you.”
As Ouyang Jue held the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon in place, Liu Zhangming swung the Dragon's Tear Sword without hesitation.
At the same time, he sent a telepathic message to Ouyang Jue.
*Jue.*
*Yes.*
*The moment I strike the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, you are to pursue the one thirty zhang to our left.*
*…?!*
Ouyang Jue was taken aback, but he quickly nodded.
*He's a wounded beast. You must be careful.*
*Of course.*
*SLICE!*
The sound of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's left arm tumbling to the ground as the two brothers in arms crossed paths, each heading for a different foe.