Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Choice (2)
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A moment later.
Having calculated his gains and losses, the Crow rose from his seat.
“We’re giving up on the Demonic Doctor.”
The words had barely left his lips when the members of the White-Clad Group, who had been prostrating, changed into their prepared night gear.
It was unavoidable.
Having already exposed themselves to the Mount Hua Sect, how could they commit such a folly again?
Above all, the Demonic Doctor wasn't as loyal as the White-Clad Group. The Crow had no intention of saving someone he would have to remain wary of even after the rescue.
Since he had promised to rescue him, he would likely keep his mouth shut for a while, but that would only last a few days.
The Crow made his way toward Huguang.
* * *
Shk!
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon retreated, clutching his deeply slashed abdomen.
No matter how powerful the protective energy he maintained with his demonic arts, there were some things he couldn't block.
‘Damn it!’
One was the Severing Manifestation wielded by Ouyang Jue, and the second was the fist energy that Nameless occasionally unleashed.
The last was the profound sword art displayed by Liu Zhangming.
Grrk.
An unpleasant sound echoed from the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's shoulder.
‘If only I could just kill one of them properly, but these damn flies keep sticking to me…’
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon glared at Peng Tianwei and tightened his fist.
Just then, the Demonic Doctor sent a telepathic message.
-The Crow says he is coming to help.
-Hmph. Did you lose your mind after taking a few hits from that bastard?
A sneer flashed across the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's face.
-You, who have watched the Crow for a long time, should know better. You know that among the Eight Evils, the Crow is the harshest to losers.
-…
As the Demonic Doctor fell silent, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon forcibly twisted his body, setting the broken bone.
As the pain momentarily turned his vision white, Liu Zhangming charged through the opening.
It was too refined to be the swordsmanship of the Mount Hua Sect.
‘I’ll have to give up on setting it.’
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon parried the Heaven Jade Sword with one hand and stomped the ground.
It wasn't to bolster his strength, but to shoot demonic energy at Nameless, who was aiming for his back.
“Your struggles are getting desperate!”
Nameless channeled the Heavenly Escape Mind Arts and executed the Tiger Seizing Lightning Claw.
As the claw strike descended like a thunderbolt, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon shook his shoulders hard.
Crack!
A loud sound erupted as the claw strike hit the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's shoulder.
A look of utter disbelief settled on Nameless's face.
‘Is his skin harder than diamond?!’
That's how different the demonic art the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon used, the Iron Demon Divine Arts, was from the martial arts of the mortal world.
More than anything, he was growing tired of it.
Faced with such madness that didn't hesitate to fight even in that state, and a surprisingly strong mental fortitude, Nameless felt himself being gradually overwhelmed.
‘There’s a certain level of crazy that makes a fight enjoyable, but this…’
Isn't this basically the same as beating a corpse?
As Nameless frowned, Ouyang Jue sent him a telepathic message.
-In a hurry to use the latrine?
-Nonsense!
He almost reflexively cursed back, but that single remark allowed Nameless to shake off the pressure.
‘It strikes me again, but that kid’s behavior really doesn’t match his age.’
Not only did he immediately respond to an impromptu joint attack, but it was also Ouyang Jue who had somehow dealt with the Demonic Doctor and left him half-crippled.
It was as if a wizened old master had achieved rejuvenation.
Feeling a deep sense of trust in Ouyang Jue, Nameless threw a punch.
Kwaang!
An impact reminiscent of gunpowder exploded on the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's back.
The profound internal energy unique to the Heavenly Escape Mind Arts had caused a powerful burst of air pressure. It felt as if his spine, which he had barely been holding together with demonic energy, was shattering.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's vision burned white. Despite having numbed his sense of pain, the tingling sensation made his fingertips tremble.
Crack.
As even his prosthetic leg wobbled precariously, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon brought his hands together.
The demonic energy, created by consuming all his life force, turned the surroundings as black as the night sky.
“Now… I have no choice.”
“…?!”
“I have no choice but to take you all with me… Only then will I have something to say to the Black Dragon and the Goblin who died before me.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue's eyes gleamed.
‘Goblin?’
It was a name he had never heard before, yet the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon said he was dead.
If what he said was true, it was undoubtedly good news.
‘If the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon dies, that will be three of the eight dead.’
Besides, didn't Gyo Gang-cheon, whom he had met before, show a relaxed attitude that made it hard to believe he was one of the Eight Evils?
Having organized his thoughts up to that point, Ouyang Jue held his breath. He didn't know what demonic art the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon would unleash, but it was sure to be the most dangerous one he had used so far.
Gulp.
Peng Tianwei's Adam's apple bobbed. No matter how much experience he had gained as the leader of the Martial Alliance, this was his first time facing a monster like one of the Eight Evils.
Just as the three martial artists finished their preparations.
“Move.”
A strange glint flickered in Liu Zhangming's eyes.
* * *
“You’re just going to disappear like this?”
the Heaven-Reaching Old Man asked in an agitated voice, and Jin Mu-wol nodded grimly.
“Do you think I want to go? My heavenly fortune has simply run its course.”
“Didn’t you say there were ten years left!”
“What can I do? The currents of causality shifted more sharply than I anticipated.”
Jin Mu-wol looked at his tearful friend, at a loss for how to comfort him.
Moreover, this was the first time he had seen the Heaven-Reaching Old Man act this way, which made it even more difficult.
“Please understand.”
“Understand?… For whose sake have I been living in seclusion all this time!”
“Who doesn’t know of your hardships? Sect Leader Bai is also well aware of it, is he not?”
Wooooo…
At the sound echoing from within the Plum Blossom Cave, Jin Mu-wol's gaze turned back.
Normally, it would have been seven or eight years.
Only after that time would the Plum Blossom Cave have been released. But the process had gradually accelerated, and it was already preparing to move.
The time had come for the blessing of longevity bestowed upon Jin Mu-wol to be withdrawn.
At this, Jin Mu-wol couldn't hide a bitter smile.
“That I, who should have died long ago, have lived this long is a miracle from the heavens. Thanks to it, I was able to raise a young disciple for once.”
At those words, the Heaven-Reaching Old Man felt a warmth spread in a corner of his heart.
The blessing—no, the curse—of the Plum Blossom Cave was something that continued on.
Until all the darkness lurking throughout the entire Central Plains disappeared, until the very moment his soul wore away.
Even if that were resolved, the duty of the Plum Blossom Cave Dweller would remain.
Who would ever want to accept that?
Jin Mu-wol gazed south and let out a deep sigh.
“He is too young to suffer such pain. Could you help him in my stead, as I will soon be gone?”
“…”
“That Ouyang Jue, huhuhu… he had so many questions about me. It seems I will leave without answering them.”
“That doesn't mean I'll tell him for you.”
When the Heaven-Reaching Old Man replied seriously, Jin Mu-wol dropped his head as if he couldn't help it.
“Are you afraid that Jue will live like you?”
“He seems too impatient for that, doesn't he?”
“That may be so, but.”
Jin Mu-wol wore a lonely smile.
“Thank you for everything until now. I will never forget it.”
“…Damn it.”
The Heaven-Reaching Old Man couldn't hold back his anger and roared.
“I won’t let Zhangming live an unrewarded life like you!”
“…Hah.”
The words had barely left his lips when Jin Mu-wol's entire body scattered and vanished.
* * *
‘My head feels hot.’
Since when?
Liu Zhangming felt the spiritual energy mixed within his Purple Mist True Energy and shivered.
The biggest problem wasn't the spiritual energy.
The dust-like memories, which he had only felt faintly from time to time, began to revive.
And they were memories of things he had never experienced before.
“Jue… secretly descended the mountain?”
“That’s right. Good grief, we should have crippled his dantian and meridians so he wouldn't tarnish the Mount Hua Sect's prestige. The Sect Leader is too kind for his own good.”
“Even so, he is a fellow disciple. If he goes down and commits excessive slaughter, we can pass judgment then, can we not?”
Things he had no memory of ever saying.
Liu Zhangming felt as if reality was distorting. Memories he couldn't possibly believe were digging into his mind.
It was as if something that had been fragmented within his body had suddenly gathered in his head.
When Liu Zhangming suddenly started to groan, the Demonic Doctor's eyes widened.
“D-don’t tell me…”
Has the Plum Blossom Cave opened?
This soon?
The Demonic Doctor turned away from the Black Wind Unit and lunged straight for Liu Zhangming.
In his grasp was a talisman with the shape of a mandala drawn on it.
Thuk.
Liu Zhangming clutched his forehead. The constricting pain in his head brought on a chill.
At the same time, nausea rose within him.
‘My martial talent… from the very beginning.’
Did I not have it?
Liu Zhangming's head tilted back. His dazed mind couldn't control his body.
But his vision was clear.
The Demonic Doctor, rushing to pull some trick on him.
The talisman held in his grasp was imbued with some kind of sinister energy.
In short, it was inscribed with a sigil of absorption that drained the opponent's energy.
This wasn't knowledge that Liu Zhangming originally possessed.
Not only had he never learned it from the Omniscient One, but he also believed that using sorcery was improper for a Taoist.
‘But then why do I know such a thing?’
Stagger.
Liu Zhangming grabbed the Dragon's Tear Sword with his staggering body.
Then, he lightly waved his hand.
Shk!
The Demonic Doctor's arm was cleanly severed. The pine tree behind him toppled sideways with a great crash, its severed surface perfectly smooth.
“Guhh…!”
Seeing the Demonic Doctor groan, Seo Mun-yeol was so startled he stopped his movement technique.
‘Does Young Master Liu’s cultivation level rise every hour?’
With the Demonic Doctor neutralized, Liu Zhangming's head turned elsewhere.
To the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, who was wringing out every last bit of demonic energy, even at the cost of his life force.
His face seemed to fill his vision.
“Move.”
Casually pushing Ouyang Jue aside, Liu Zhangming brandished the Dragon's Tear Sword and executed the Plum Blossom Steps.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue's lips parted slightly.
It was too fast and fluid to be called the Plum Blossom Steps. It was like watching Kunlun's Eight Forms of the Cloud Dragon.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon also sensed that Liu Zhangming's demeanor was different from usual and his expression hardened.
“You bastard…!”
“…”
Purple Mist True Energy surged up Liu Zhangming's spine. But Ouyang Jue could see it clearly.
The faint, whitish spiritual energy layered over the Purple Mist True Energy.
Ouyang Jue's gaze immediately turned north.
‘I think I’ve felt this at Mount Hua before.’
It wouldn't be too late to calm Liu Zhangming down first, kill the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon, and then go investigate.
That was Ouyang Jue's thought, but Liu Zhangming's hand was faster.
“Jue, watch carefully.”
“…Yes?”
Shudder!
Seeing Liu Zhangming's unusual demeanor, Ouyang Jue became extremely tense.
He even wondered if he had fallen victim to the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's demonic arts.
Above all, a vacant smile was playing on Liu Zhangming's face.
The Liu Zhangming that Ouyang Jue knew was not that kind of martial artist.
He was a serious Taoist, especially when taking a life, no matter how vile the enemy.
“Senior Brother!”
Liu Zhangming did not answer Ouyang Jue's call.
Instead, he infused the hand holding the Dragon's Tear Sword with Purple Mist True Energy.
“This is the sword that slays demons, the Plum Sword of a Thousand Autumns.”
Shk!
It was the sound of the streak of light on the Dragon's Tear Sword tearing through the demonic energy and cleaving the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
Three days later.
Liu Zhangming came to be called the Plum Blossom Heavenly Sword.
But strangely, the Mount Hua Sect, which should have been bustling with excitement, was filled with silence.
They even turned away guests they had previously welcomed, accepting only the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, who could be considered family.
Rumors abounded about this, but nothing was ever confirmed.
Only one fact was passed down.
That the expressions of the two martial brothers returning to the Mount Hua Sect were not bright.