Chapter 588
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 588
Chapter Title: Found You
After annihilating the Eternal Tribulation Ghost Forest Ten Thousand Demon Formation...
The lingering energy of the formation surged back against Ha Mu-baek's qi as if it had been waiting for this moment.
It wasn't trying to invade him.
It was simply being naturally absorbed into Ha Mu-baek.
The problem was that this energy was demonic qi.
To demonic cultists, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but to a righteous sect warrior who cultivated pure techniques, it was poison.
Ha Mu-baek's qi sense grasped the flow of the residual energy from the broken formation.
Fortunately?
It wasn't flowing into the other warriors in the formation—only into Ha Mu-baek alone.
It seemed to be tracing back along the qi he had released.
'Lucky.'
If the demonic qi had flowed into the others, they might have faced dire consequences despite having thwarted the formation.
The demonic qi that had entered him along his own qi followed his meridians straight to his dantian.
Any other warrior would have been utterly shocked.
No sane righteous cultivator would welcome demonic qi invading their dantian—only a demon would.
'Hmm? Wait...'
The thought struck him.
Ha Mu-baek reconsidered the formation's true purpose.
It wasn't solely to exterminate the righteous warriors.
He replayed the flow of demonic qi he had observed in the formation.
'The amplification happened twice, didn't it...'
First, qi deviation from the demonic invasion.
Then death.
What happened to the qi of the berserk warrior?
It would be devoured by the demonic qi, converted, and flow outward.
Amplifying the demonic qi once more.
Judging by the movement of the destroyed formation's energy, if a demon had been inside at that point?
The energy would have flowed straight to that demon.
An insidious formation with two vicious purposes.
Annihilate the righteous warriors, then convert their inner energy into demonic qi for a demon to absorb.
'Then...'
The Dread King's intentions became crystal clear.
He had planned to activate this formation, slaughter every warrior of the Huashan Sect, and absorb their energy himself.
Even if he had deployed the Soul Devouring Great Law, his true body would be nearby.
To absorb the demonic qi, he needed to enter the formation—his real body couldn't be far.
'Is he still here?'
Days had passed since Ha Mu-baek shattered the Dread King's Soul Devouring Great Law.
Even if he'd been near Lotus Flower Peak then, he would've had plenty of time to flee far away.
'But human greed isn't that rational.'
With that judgment, Ha Mu-baek expanded the range of his qi sense.
To search if the Dread King was still lurking around Huashan.
"Hoh."
After the formation activated and the amplification phase ended...
As demonic qi enveloped Lotus Flower Peak, Akcho let out a small sigh of admiration.
Even he had never witnessed the Eternal Tribulation Ghost Forest Ten Thousand Demon Formation in action before.
There were records of it activating a century ago, but this was his first time seeing it firsthand.
"Impressive."
He murmured sincerely.
The fierce movement of the formation's demonic qi was palpable even from here.
Of course, no one else would sense it—whatever happened inside the formation was invisible to outsiders.
Only because the Dread King was a demon—and one who had surpassed the absolute peak—could he detect it.
"That should do it. Even that bastard Ha Mu-baek must be a dead man now."
A satisfied smile curled on Akcho's lips.
As he observed the formation's movements...
Suddenly...
His face hardened.
The formation's energy was flowing backward.
"W-What?"
Startled, Akcho shot to his feet.
A pure white qi repelled the formation's demonic qi.
It devoured the entire formation blanketing Lotus Flower Peak.
Kaboom!
The formation shattered.
"I-Impossible..."
His voice trembled.
He had lingered here out of lingering attachment and regret for the demonic qi filling the formation.
For it to be destroyed like this...
He couldn't believe it.
Moments later.
Regaining his composure, Akcho stepped out of the inn.
There was no reason to stay any longer.
"Found you."
Ha Mu-baek murmured softly.
The demonic qi swirling through his meridians kept trying to invade his dantian, but this was no real threat.
Kyu Hwi turned at Ha Mu-baek's mutter.
The Huashan Sect disciples were gradually moving away from him, wondering what had happened.
But Kyu Hwi had stayed by his side, so he caught the quiet words.
"Found what?"
"Old man, I'll be right back."
With that, Ha Mu-baek's figure vanished like the wind.
Unleashing Shadowless Myriad Li Step to its limit, he moved like a streak of light.
'Right. He couldn't just abandon his greed.'
The sheer volume of demonic qi rampaging inside him now was staggering.
This was just the residual energy after the formation's destruction.
If the formation had operated fully?
Perhaps the Dread King had circled nearby, anticipating Ha Mu-baek's demise, ready to absorb it all.
Expanding his qi sense, he had pinpointed the bastard's presence.
Not the puppet of the Soul Devouring Great Law—but the true body of Dread King Akcho.
The bastard was fleeing farther from Huashan.
And fast.
Confirming the formation's destruction, he was escaping without a shred of hesitation.
A little faster, and he might have slipped beyond Ha Mu-baek's qi sense range.
Then he would've been impossible to track.
But his greed had chained his feet—and sealed his fate.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes gleamed as he charged forward at full speed.
Whoosh.
Only a low whoosh trailed in his wake.
How long had he run?
The Dread King's presence grew closer.
Ha Mu-baek's smile deepened with every step.
'Almost there.'
The Dread King, deploying lightfoot skill to speed away from Huashan.
He had left Shaanxi Province and entered Shanxi.
His destination: Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi.
Mid-flight toward it, Akcho whipped around in shock.
He sensed a terrifying presence hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.
"W-What?"
Entering his qi sense range meant he was nearly upon him.
And then the figure appeared.
"H-Ha Mu-baek?"
Akcho halted, staring in disbelief.
"Long time no see. Properly, anyway."
Ha Mu-baek grinned.
During the Great Martial War...
After that operation, he hadn't faced the Dread King head-on.
Not even during the final assault to slay Demonic Cult Leader Sek Woncho—other protectors appeared, but not him.
True, it had been ages.
Though he had battled the body hijacked by Old Houmyeong.
"H-How...?"
"You had time to flee far away. But you lingered near, greedy for the demonic qi. That's how I caught you."
A murderous smile twisted Ha Mu-baek's lips.
A savage aura already billowed around him.
"You little punk..."
Akcho drew up his energy.
Black qi coiled and rose from his body.
His eyes blackened too.
And he saw it.
The faint demonic qi wafting from Ha Mu-baek's body.
"You...?"
This was unmistakably demonic qi.
Not like that day, when he mimicked it to lure him.
The Eternal Tribulation Ghost Forest Ten Thousand Demon Formation's qi was emanating from Ha Mu-baek.
"I don't know how you destroyed the formation, but you couldn't stop the demonic qi from entering you. Heh heh."
Laughter spilled from Akcho's mouth.
Demonic qi invading a righteous warrior's body was no different from poison.
Ha Mu-baek had somehow broken the formation.
Somehow tracked him down.
Somehow chased him here this fast.
But one thing was certain.
That bastard now had to contend with the demonic qi inside him—he couldn't muster even half his full power.
Confidence surged as demonic qi roiled from Akcho's body.
Underworld Demon Slaughter.
Demonic qi flowed along the vicious demonic art's paths.
Tat!
Akcho kicked off the ground.
Blood scythes gleamed in both hands—drawn in an instant.
Red sickles.
His signature weapons.
A sword appeared in Ha Mu-baek's hand.
White sword qi formed along the blade.
"You should've asked how I broke the formation."
Ha Mu-baek's sword flashed out.
Clang! Clang!
The two scythes clashed against the single sword, ringing out deafeningly.
Akcho's Underworld Demon Slaughter, at the absolute peak, was ferocious.
Especially with those twin blood scythes optimized for it—truly terrifying.
Akcho rarely drew his blood scythes.
Only against lifelong foes.
That day too.
He had underestimated the Hocheon Corps at first, wielding a sword.
Yet the Dread King showed horrifying might.
When Ha Mu-baek went all-out and swords proved insufficient...
He drew the blood scythes.
The battle turned, and Ha Mu-baek took a mortal blow.
'Those damned blood scythes.'
The memory resurfaced.
One blood scythe left Akcho's hand.
Spinning wildly toward Ha Mu-baek, brimming with black sword qi—fiercely menacing.
The moment one's gaze was drawn, preparing to block...
Akcho's other scythe surged from below.
Like a beast's lower jaw snapping at prey.
It had been just like this.
But Ha Mu-baek now was not the Ha Mu-baek of then.
He gripped his sword in reverse and slammed it into the ground.
The instant the white sword qi pierced the earth...
"Begone."
At Ha Mu-baek's word...
Kaboom!
The surrounding ground erupted explosively.
The hurled blood scythe was blocked by a massive rising earth wall.
Fissured earth seized Akcho's feet.
"Urk."
A startled groan escaped him.
Suddenly...
Ha Mu-baek appeared before Akcho's eyes.
His sword thrust toward Akcho's dantian.
"Damn you."
Demonic qi exploded from Akcho's body.
The Eight Great Demonic Arts' Underworld Demon Slaughter surged like a tsunami.
But not toward Ha Mu-baek.
As he swung a scythe to block the sword, Underworld Demon Slaughter qi erupted to its limits.
Aiming for resonance.
With the demonic qi drifting aimlessly inside Ha Mu-baek.
This was the move to trigger it.
The moment Underworld Demon Slaughter qi detonated...
Ha Mu-baek's sword hesitated.
Resonance occurred.
In that split-second gap, Akcho deflected the sword with his scythe and retreated.
He reclaimed the other scythe with Object Controlling Lightfoot Skill.
"Keh heh heh. Fool. The great Divine Cult's Eight Divine Arts influence even foreign qi in others' bodies."
That qi being demonic qi.
"The moment you harbored the Divine Cult's qi, you can't escape or resist my Underworld Demon Slaughter. Hah hah hah!"
Akcho hurled the blood scythes again.
Not aiming at Ha Mu-baek this time.
The twin scythes circled him per the Ghost Scythe Pair technique.
Underworld Demon Slaughter qi pouring from them continuously stimulated the demonic qi inside Ha Mu-baek.
Triggering resonance.
The demonic qi went berserk.
Pounding his meridians, battering his dantian.
A sharp pain flared.
Disrupting his inner energy flow and swordplay.
"Is that how it works?"
Ha Mu-baek frowned slightly, glaring at Akcho.
Triumph lit Akcho's face.
The victor’s smile.
"You. Why do you think you fell for my lure that day?"
Ha Mu-baek's question.
That day, he had exuded demonic qi.
No—not quite demonic qi, but its source was akin.
That's why Akcho had taken the bait and come to the training cave.
"Hmph. Comparing parlor tricks to the Divine Cult's great qi?"
"This trifling demonic qi."
"Yes. Try expelling it. Circulate your qi. Heh heh."
The instant he did, Akcho would strike his throat.
A sword was already in his hand.