Chapter 212: The Revealed Shadow of the Enemy
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Killing intent intertwined with demonic intent.
Thus an extremely wicked will squirmed in Gal Jung-heon’s chest.
That he would bestow the greatest pain of the cloaked figure’s life.
However, there was no change in his human nature.
Demon for the sake of chivalry.
It was solely malice directed at the cloaked figure.
Through the enlightenment of rejuvenation long ago, he was one who could control his deep demonic nature at will.
If not for that, he would have already gone berserk, losing his reason, and gone mad as an utterly wicked demonic person.
The cloaked figure, having captured the large hungry ghost-shaped energy in his eyes, burned fighting spirit accompanied by competitive spirit.
‘He’s reached the realm of freely wielding the Demon-Devouring Sword’s power. Not an easy opponent. Then even if it means dying together… I must erase him here. So that he can’t even be a small pebble rolling on the path that person has paved.’
The resolve of mutual destruction.
JURUREUK, JURUREUREUK…
Because he forcibly raised his power, the bleeding from the severed area intensified.
However, he paid it no mind.
The cloaked figure.
Because he had already resolved to die.
Like Gal Jung-heon who had concentrated killing intent and demonic intent, his sole thought was to eliminate the opponent before his eyes.
PANG-!
Simultaneously with the crisp sound.
PIIING-
The cloaked figure moved with exquisite maneuvering, as if gliding across water like a water strider.
A sword technique targeting the opponent’s left side.
However.
KKWAKWANG!
It was immediately blocked.
Gal Jung-heon didn’t move his hand or twist his body.
Instead, the massive hungry ghost-shaped energy generated by the Demon-Devouring Sword perfectly defended against the swift sword technique.
‘Right, I mustn’t get close!’
Before the cloaked figure’s judgment was even finished, he withdrew backward and fired heavy sword energy.
PEOPEOPEONG!
Once again, the large hungry ghost blocked with its body.
Moreover.
The exploded energy wave didn’t scatter in all directions but dissipated in a strange manner as if rotting away.
-I’m hungry! KEUKKEUKKEUK, KEUKEUKKEUKKEUK…!
A sound reaching his ears like a transmitted voice.
The cloaked figure, having retreated over ten paces at once, injected tremendous true energy into his blade.
‘Let’s see how long you can keep blocking!’
As his sword drew a horizontal trajectory across the void.
CHYUCHYUCHYUCHYUCHYUCHYU-!
Massive sword energy instantly dispersed and rushed forward.
Sword energies that had split into ten branches.
They curved sharply and fell, targeting the opponent’s vital points like ten people swinging swords together.
A rain of swords.
Majestic momentum.
It was so hegemonic and powerful that it seemed the atmosphere and ground might be mercilessly torn and burst.
Enough to evoke the might of the ultimate techniques Earth Severing and Heaven Severing from Severing Finger Sword Venerable So Cheon-ak’s martial art Rending Splitting Great Six Swords technique.
At that moment.
HWAAAAK!
The large hungry ghost suddenly swallowed up its master Gal Jung-heon’s form.
PEOPEOPEOPEOPEONG, PEOPEOPEOPEOPEONG!
A series of explosions shaking the space.
The ten strands of sword energy that indiscriminately struck the hungry ghost’s surface dissipated as if decaying.
During all that, Gal Jung-heon’s cool voice flowed out.
“Not bad.”
Following that, the large hungry ghost-shaped energy expelled its master’s form and then separated from the Demon-Devouring Sword.
As if moving alive on its own.
Gal Jung-heon, having revealed himself again, shot his gaze while speaking in a dignified voice.
“The Demon-Devouring Sword’s Hungry Ghost Energy automatically protects its owner. Of course, only to qualified and powerful beings.”
The cloaked figure, having briefly shuddered, swung his sword with his single arm.
CHYUCHYUCHYUCHYUCHYUCHYU-!
Ten strands of sword energy striking the void.
Extreme power.
Suddenly, the Hungry Ghost Energy’s mouth expanded at tremendous speed.
KKUKUKUKUKUKUNG…!
It sucked in all ten strands of sword energy and put them in its belly, and soon they all exploded inside.
“It’s useless. The Hungry Ghost Energy is my secret technique.”
Just as Gal Jung-heon said, the Hungry Ghost Energy was intact.
Seeing that, the cloaked figure felt goosebumps rise.
It was terrifying.
For the first time, fear took root.
Reactions of pain were nonexistent, but emotional agitation existed.
‘CHIK!’
At times like this, thoughts needed to be short.
‘Before the fear in my chest grows larger, I must end this quickly…!’
The cloaked figure, having flashed his eyes, intensely expelled heat haze from his entire body.
DEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUEU-!
The ground beneath his feet trembled violently.
The power of innate true energy that had broken through even the wall of limits.
He had already resolved to die anyway.
Therefore, there was no hesitation in triggering life-risking innate energy.
KWAKWANG!
The cloaked figure’s form rushed forward.
HWAAAK!
Not to be outdone, the large Hungry Ghost Energy went out to meet him.
KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG-!
The desperate charge shattered the Hungry Ghost Energy in all directions.
Having thus compressed the gap, the cloaked figure thrust out his sword tip.
A fierce sword technique with power that seemed ready to crumple and crush the entire forward space.
In response, Gal Jung-heon also thrust out the Demon-Devouring Sword straight.
Sword tip versus sword tip, sword energy versus sword energy.
This was a pure internal power battle.
JJEOEOEOEONG!
Along with the metallic sound, transparent waves spread chaotically.
KWAKWANG-!
Simultaneously with the ear-striking roar, the cloaked figure’s form flew backward.
KKUKUKUNG- KKWAJIJIK!
The cliff touching the cloaked figure’s back cried out.
Massive cracks like a giant spider web.
Thus the gap in martial might was revealed.
Small ripples spread in the cloaked figure’s pitch-black pupils.
‘KEUK… I can’t win! Even the innate true energy trigger…’
His entire body’s blood energy had already been overturned.
He couldn’t move his body.
Only then did fear begin to consume his chest.
“The Hungry Ghost Energy obtained by losing family, holding sorrow. Can the likes of you handle it?”
No sooner had Gal Jung-heon’s words ended.
-EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT!
Along with noisy echoes, the fragmented Hungry Ghost Energy remnants in the void quickly transformed one by one.
‘EOEOK!’
The cloaked figure’s eyes shook even more greatly.
Hundreds of hungry ghosts.
Small in size but far too many.
The finely split Hungry Ghost Energy had created an army.
FLUTTER-
Gal Jung-heon instantly moved and approached the cloaked figure’s front.
TAK!
A left hand gripping his chin.
Having made eye contact with the cloaked figure, Gal Jung-heon opened his upper dantian and spoke quietly.
“Even if the sensation of pain was artificially erased, ultimately what dominates the flesh is the mind. When you strike that mind, physical reactions naturally follow.”
Suddenly, a strange light was born in his pupils.
CHEUT… CHEUCHEUT…
Amid that, he strengthened his grip and spoke again.
“Now speak. All the secrets related to you.”
“Bull… shit…”
“No, you will speak.”
The swarm of hungry ghosts, drawn by Gal Jung-heon’s voice, poured down and covered the cloaked figure’s entire body.
SAGAKSAGAK, SAGAKSAGAK, SAGAKSAGAK, SAGAKSAGAK…
The terrifying devouring demonic energy activated.
Soon, the terrified cloaked figure’s face slightly contorted.
“KEU… KEUEUU…!”
Was he finally feeling some pain?
“Speak.”
When Gal Jung-heon concentrated internal power in his upper dantian, the luminescence in his pupils became even clearer.
CHEUCHEUT, CHEUCHEUT…
That was the characteristic of the Soul Devouring Eye, the ultimate technique Cheol Ryu-heun had bestowed.
A rare demonic art devised by the Three-Eye Demon King, the first owner of the Demon-Devouring Sword, an extremely powerful demonic person called the Heavenly Demon’s right hand one thousand years ago.
It was a terrifying ultimate technique that controlled the demonic divine power held by the Demon-Devouring Sword and fired it like eye light.
Those who received this directly would rot from inside their bodies, and furthermore, even their minds would be gnawed away, transforming into cripples – a fearsome power.
Gal Jung-heon’s Soul Devouring Eye was incomplete.
That study was still at its starting point.
However, if it was an opponent whose mental weakness was exposed due to the influence of deep fear, there might be some effect.
Sure enough.
The expression of the cloaked figure, who had been trembling all over, noticeably crumpled.
“EU, EUAAAK… EUAAAK, EUAAAK…!”
Finally, screams of pain burst out.
From the swarm of Hungry Ghost Energy that clung to him pitch-black like ants and slowly ate away his flesh.
In other words, the collapse of his mind had induced terrible agony.
However, the cloaked figure didn’t easily yield.
“EUAK, EUAAAK…!”
“If you tell the truth, I’ll stop the pain.”
“What you… can find out… is nothing!”
“Fine, let’s see how long you can hold out.”
“EUAAAK, EUAAAK…!”
Meanwhile, Namgung Sang-rin stared at that terrifying scene for a while, then soon warned the cloaked figure before him.
“How is it, aren’t you afraid just watching? If you don’t want to suffer that fate, speak. Your identity and purpose.”
Currently, the cloaked figure was in a state where not only his internal organs but even his bones and muscles had ruptured from Azure Sword Filling Heaven Energy, the ultimate technique of Azure Heaven Great Revolution Sword Art.
Suddenly.
“Hmph.”
A slight sneer leaked from the mouth of the cloaked figure sitting limp with his back against a boulder.
“What’s so funny?”
At Namgung Sang-rin’s cold question, the cloaked figure laughed again.
“HUHUT… To think the bloodline of the Namgung Family would… grow this much…”
“Did you recognize my Azure Heaven Great Revolution Sword Art?”
“That’s… not all.”
“What?”
“Back then too… I saw it.”
“Back then?”
“Yes… On that dark night… Struggling while drawing a blue sky… Your father… who drew his last breath. KEUKKEUK.”
Having heard those words, Namgung Sang-rin’s eyes grew greatly.
‘…!’
The villains who had destroyed his household in the past.
The mysterious powerful enemy group.
Then did that mean the cloaked figure was one of them?
“Now I feel… regretful. If you, the brat back then, had just been eliminated too… that would have been… good…”
Namgung Sang-rin, whose blood rushed backward, roughly WARAK! grabbed his collar.
“Was it your gang who destroyed our household back then!”
“KEUKKEUK… Who knows.”
When the cloaked figure muttered as if mocking, Namgung Sang-rin shouted.
“Speak! Quickly!”
“Dead anyway… Don’t waste… your energy. KEUKKEUK…”
“I said speak!”
Namgung Sang-rin, with bloodshot eyes, swung his fists wildly.
PEOK, PEOPEOK, PEOK-!
The cloaked figure’s face quickly became a bloody mess.
However, his mouth didn’t open.
He only wore an expression insensitive to pain, just like at first.
“Why… Why did you kill them! Why!”
Namgung Sang-rin screamed and didn’t stop punching.
Right at that moment.
DEOKSEOK!
A gentle hand approached and grabbed his arm.
It was Hae Su-yeon.
“Young Master.”
“That bastard, that bastard killed our precious family…!”
“Yes. I heard. But if he dies like this, we won’t be able to find out anything, will we? So calm down for now… After we capture him alive, we can find out. There will surely be an opportunity to discover the truth. I also just barely kept alive the one I was fighting over there.”
When Hae Su-yeon gently advised, Namgung Sang-rin trembled his fist and soon gently released it.
“Yes… You’re right. I understand what you mean.”
At the same time.
Cheol Ryu-heun had entered full-scale ascending to immortality and was in a state where his mind was cut off from the external situation.
It was the effect of exerting extreme concentration.
Soon, light powder spread abundantly from his body.
The process of ascending to heaven after passing through the entrance of ascending to immortality.
Did he intend to leave the mortal world?
Suddenly.
-ASCENDING TO IMMORTALITY? DON’T EVEN DREAM OF IT!
The moment a sound like a great transmitted voice rang out thunderously, a massive palm fiercely pressed down on the light ray emitted from Cheol Ryu-heun’s head.
GOOOOOOO-!
Seeing that, Cheol Ryu-heun wore a smile.
In truth, he had intended it.
For that to appear.
Whether it was the power of the heavenly realm or something else, some mysterious force that was unfathomably beyond the realm of mortals had created this strange phenomenon.
‘Yes, come! With this, I will awaken the divine power from my Divine Martial Sword era!’
Thus, the massive palm dropped down and caused a formless explosion, and Cheol Ryu-heun’s body was shaken.
KKWAREUREUREUREU-NG…!