Chapter 229: Success

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A momentary dark curtain passed through First Seat’s vision.

His head felt briefly dizzy.

It was vertigo from internal injuries brought on by the shock of the offensive.

Blood mixed with saliva dripping down in a thin thread.

Even amidst all that, he clearly heard it.

The voice Cheol Ryu-heun had just bluntly uttered.

What did it mean?

That he would look inside his head.

‘For there to be such a strong one…’

Soon, First Seat, having regained focus, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

His own pathetic state of having slumped down was laughable.

It was humiliating.

Has he ever shown such a sight in all his life?

With that thought, First Seat raised his head.

SEUK.

Then, Cheol Ryu-heun’s face standing before him was captured in his eyes.

He felt something strange anew.

Looking at that calm expression as if having reached the realm of transcendence.

Starting with those eyes.

It would make sense to see at least a hint of his state of mind, yet he couldn’t read him at all.

It was incomprehensible.

Was he someone without emotions?

Looking at him this close, he somehow didn’t seem like a person made of blood and flesh.

It felt as if he was facing an unprecedented existence that had transcended the human world.

He thought of Patriarch Aryun-nan.

A superhuman who had reached a level of martial prowess rivaling the Sun Moon Demon Cult’s strongest in history.

Cheol Ryu-heun standing before him somehow resembled him.

Not in facial features or external appearance, but in presence.

The First Seat now knew well.

That he couldn’t win.

But

‘Him!’

He gathered his fighting spirit once more.

His eyes were saying.

That he must never give up like this here.

That’s right.

Life was important, but more important was the mission.

Even if he died, he had to meet Patriarch Aryun-nan before breathing his last breath.

The duty of a loyal cult member.

He could only close his eyes in peace after somehow completing that.

‘Reporting to the Patriarch comes first!’

As the conviction that he must survive and escape no matter how wrecked his body became ignited like flames, strength surged again.

He wasn’t asking for much.

Just once.

If he could just secure the slightest gap to slip away, he could desperately escape.

With his secret concealment technique and lightness technique…

But as if reading the heart hidden in his gaze.

Cheol Ryu-heun gestured with his chin and said.

“Go ahead. Try anything.”

Simultaneously, First Seat shot to his feet like lightning and executed sword forms.

The blade tip that shot forward targeting the chest.

Sword energy harmonized with demonic energy EXPLODED forth!

Sun is precisely yang.

[TL Note- It’s a classical East Asian cosmological principle from yin-yang philosophy.]

It was a move accompanied by the fiery power energy symbolizing that.

KWAHAAANG-!

The wave of dark heat haze scattered as if sunlight was spreading.

In an instant.

‘HEUP!’

First Seat’s eyes shook with the light of shock.

It was the Sun Demon Seize Heaven, the strongest form within the Sun Demon Sword Forms, having instantly exerted eighty percent of his power.

The ground that had cracked and burst out proved that power.

Yet it was blocked.

Cheol Ryu-heun had neutralized the ultimate technique he’d executed with all his heart using only a formless energy barrier of pure internal power level.

Without even a tremble in his body.

But that was roughly expected.

The just-now single move was a stratagem to slip away.

PAPAP-

First Seat, having twisted his form, moved sideways then.

KWANG!

He fiercely kicked off the ground and fled over ten zhang.

How far had he gone?

No presence could be detected by his sharp ki sense.

Had he shaken him off?

The instant such a thought arose.

‘EOEOK!’

Cheol Ryu-heun appeared abruptly not far ahead.

It was astounding.

Not just catching up with the distance but overtaking him.

He was approaching fast.

The shadow of the true Death God who governed death.

HUUUUUUK-!

The Gan Jiang closed in on First Seat’s face in an instant.

It felt as if the entire earth was being pushed backward and flying away from the tremendous pressure the blue blade emitted.

KKANG- KWAHAAANG-!

An explosive sound echoing through the mountains.

First Seat, having barely managed to raise his sword to block, was flung far away like a ray of light.

UJIKKEUN!

The tree that struck his back broke and toppled.

HUUUUUUK-!

Cheol Ryu-heun’s Gan Jiang was already charging head-on again.

There was no space to dodge anywhere.

Countless hook-shaped energies blocked every gap while overwhelming his vision.

It was a wave of sword energy that had implemented the wondrous application of the Sun Moon Demon Arrival Technique.

Defense was surely the only option.

First Seat, enduring the pain of internal injuries, executed the ultimate technique Sun Demon Seize Heaven, operating maximum cultivation.

KKWAAAAAAAAAANG!

An explosive sound shaking mountains, rivers, grass, and trees rang out simultaneously with a great explosion.

Tremendous trembling enveloped all directions.

Trees, rocks, and everything else in that area shattered into pieces and soared skyward.

SEUSEUSEU… SEUSEUSEU…

A pained groan quietly leaked out in the space where dirt dust scattered.

“KKEU…”

It was the First Seat.

He stood with his back driven into a large boulder, his internal injuries worsening, blood continuously flowing from the corner of his mouth.

Right at that moment.

WARAK!

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had approached at some point, grabbed him by the collar.

Following that.

FLASH-

Eye light mixing bright and dark feelings silently and rapidly shot forth.

First Seat, who saw that light, momentarily couldn’t breathe.

‘KEUK! What is this…’

His suddenly paralyzed body.

Amidst the pain, he harbored a question.

What was this symptom?

Could it perhaps be a mysterious power from that strange eye light?

Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun exercised a high degree of concentration.

What he was currently performing was one of the wondrous applications of divine power from his Divine Martial Sword era.

It was the power to dominate another person’s upper dantian and peek at their thoughts.

In the past, only an extremely small number of owners had used divine abilities with such wondrous applications.

The Heavenly Demon of one thousand years ago, the Sword Emperor of eight hundred years ago, the Evil Emperor of six hundred years ago, the Martial Immortal of four hundred years ago, the Blood God of two hundred years ago… those exact five.

Suddenly, Cheol Ryu-heun’s vision changed to darkness.

It was as if a pitch-black paper had been spread before his eyes.

It was the space of thoughts where divine power had manifested.

Soon, some light shimmered on that black background, and.

SEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEU…

A faint mist spread in all directions, then soon moved as if converging together to create a vivid scene.

At last, he was reading them.

The various memories embedded in First Seat’s head.

“KKEU… KKEUKEUK…”

First Seat, who had let out a groan, trembled uncontrollably.

It was the effect of the tingling pain invading his mind.

Cheol Ryu-heun paid no heed and operated his divine power while examining the fragments of memory one by one.

In the process, a strange expression appeared on his face.

‘HO-O, what’s this?’

He couldn’t see a certain series of scenes he most wanted to see.

It was because power was blocking him.

To be precise, part of the First Seat’s consciousness was in a sealed state.

Someone had placed a powerful barrier on that mental image.

Cheol Ryu-heun inwardly chuckled and murmured.

‘HUT. Is it a demonic power of the Mind’s Eye lineage? Interesting.’

He could guess the identity of that caster.

Aryun-nan.

Yes, it was him.

Surely.

Who else would do such a thing?

Suddenly, Ju Yu-gang’s words surfaced in his mind.

-Enduring my interrogation process is virtually an impossible feat. But he kept the secrets to the end and even bit off his tongue. Even for a demonic person immersed in doctrine… it’s not easy to display such blind loyalty. Then again, who knows. If a method to forcibly instill such devotion exists…

‘Aryun-nan. Twice-Rejuvenation wasn’t all you had. At this point, I’m eager to see your face soon.’

Cheol Ryu-heun, with that thought, heightened his mental power.

SEUSEU, SEUSEUSEU, SEUSEU…

Fragments of memory vividly forming and flickering repeatedly.

Before long, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

The seal was too solid.

The power deeply seated in his head thoroughly concealed top-secret information related to Sun Moon Demon Cult while blocking every path.

‘Let’s break it!’

Cheol Ryu-heun’s red eye light became even clearer.

In response, First Seat’s body also trembled more violently.

A fierce offensive and defensive battle of the mental image.

How much time had passed?

JURUREUK.

A nosebleed flowed.

It was Cheol Ryu-heun’s.

The result of greatly expending mental power trying to destroy the seal.

Immediately after.

JJEOJEOK- KWAKWANG-!

With an explosive sound in the mental image that no one could hear, Cheol Ryu-heun and First Seat were each flung in different directions.

KKUNG…

Cheol Ryu-heun, who had flown quickly backward, slammed his back against a tree.

TEOLPEODEOK-

First Seat crashed hard face-down on the distant ground over there.

“EUK…”

First Seat, who had let out a quiet sound, soon sprang to his feet.

He could finally move his body again.

‘KEUK! Now is the chance!’

Immediately operating internal power, First Seat moved at full speed toward the far forest path without looking back.

PAPAPAPA, PAPAPAPA-

It was a desperate lightness technique for survival.

Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun leaned his body against the tree while wiping his nosebleed and gazed in the direction he had fled.

As if he had no more intention of chasing.

“SEUEUP, HUUU…”

Having regulated his breathing, he soon stroked his head.

It was because a severe headache had struck earlier.

But then.

SSIK.

A faint smile formed at the corner of his mouth.

‘Got a few.’

The divine power was still incomplete.

So it had been difficult to destroy the seal presumed to be arranged by demonic power of the Mind’s Eye lineage.

It was expected from the start.

Among various mysterious divine abilities, the wondrous application he had just performed was the most difficult.

The fact that no one except for five owners throughout the long history of the martial world had properly mastered it proved that difficulty.

If his wondrous application had been at a complete level, he would have easily collapsed that powerful seal.

‘Well, it’s fine.’

Though incomplete, he was satisfied.

He had unraveled the thread.

He had manifested his divine power to test the wondrous application, and also secured some necessary information.

Now he just needed to proceed with the next plan.

Having adjusted his attire, Cheol Ryu-heun whistled.

PPIIIIK-

Soon, a sound was heard from far away.

HWIIIIIIIIIK- KKUKUGOONG!

Divine Wind traversed the void and landed on the ground.

Cheol Ryu-heun stowed the Gan jiang Sword and mounted the saddle like the wind.

“Let’s go. To the gathering point.”

When he pointed in one direction with his left hand, Divine Wind raced at full speed while emitting pure white currents.

* * *

BUUUK-!

A sword tip that had precisely pierced through the heart.

“KKEO…”

As Sun Demon Assembly’s Vice Society Leader moved his parched lips, Seop Pyo, standing behind him, SSYUK! drew out the sword he had thrust in.

JJEOLGEUREOK-

The Crescent Moon Blade that had left its owner’s hand fell to the ground.

At that moment.

SEOGEOEOK-

The sword Seop Pyo swung severed the Vice Society Leader’s head.

TUK- DEGURURU.

It was the sound heralding the battle’s end.

Before the martial prowess of Seop Pyo, Wei Ji-am, and others, all Sun Demon Assembly members in this southern forest had been killed in action.

Wei Ji-am, having sheathed his sword, slightly lowered his head and marveled.

“Truly impressive, Senior. Though a killing sword is different from mine, it was a valuable time that broadened my knowledge.”

Seop Pyo, wearing a faint smile, accepted the words.

“HEO-HEOT. What are you saying? It’s all thanks to Sect Leader Cheol, isn’t it?”

But at that moment.

“You know well.”

An indifferent voice was heard from nearby.

When the group turned their heads, the forms of Divine Wind and Cheol Ryu-heun entered their eyes, who knew when he had appeared.

“Ah, you’ve arrived. Sect Leader Cheol.”

The moment Seop Pyo clasped his hands in greeting, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke expressionlessly.

“When you see the elder who has bestowed grace upon you, you should bow first. That’s proper. Try again. Politely. Respectfully.”

KEUK! That guy, here he goes again! The lecturing!