Chapter 250: Secret Technique
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The Gan Jiang that had thrust toward the right was withdrawn.
SHUSHUSHU… SHUSHUSHUSHU…
As the wind-like sound subsided, the massive darkness-evoking energy rapidly contracted and vanished.
A suddenly silent space.
Only the chaotic sounds of bloody battle from beyond echoed distantly.
Aryun-nan and the others, standing about one jang away, were trembling anew.
Aryun-nan immediately realized that what he’d just seen was a ultimate technique of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
He had never seen it before.
But he well knew its terrifying distinctive characteristics.
That’s why he recognized it the instant he saw it.
That it was the Heavenly Demon Gravity Star, a supreme technique within the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Demonic power that strongly draws in the opponent, crushes them down, destroys them, and furthermore reduces them entirely to powder.
It was as if the essences of attraction, compression, destruction, and pulverization were all contained.
A formidable unprecedented demonic study.
That was.
The stages of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art are divided into Low Vacuum Configuration, High Vacuum Configuration, and Ultra-High Vacuum Configuration.
The Heavenly Demon Gravity Star that Cheol Ryu-heun had just executed was a supreme essence technique.
In other words, it corresponded to the final stage, Ultra-High Vacuum Configuration.
The essence comprising the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was demonic study that transcended the mortal world.
Therefore, even if one only perfectly mastered the second stage High Vacuum Configuration, they could rise as one of the foremost warriors of the foreign demonic martial world.
Heavenly Demon Cult’s history proved it clearly.
Among the historical Grand Prelates, many had established themselves as the strongest demon practitioners of their respective eras while only mastering High Vacuum Configuration.
And what’s the second stage?
Indeed, there were quite a few Grand Prelates who had made great names having only learned Low Vacuum Configuration.
Therefore, Cheol Ryu-heun’s martial prowess, having executed the Ultra-High Vacuum Configuration, the ultimate technique Heavenly Demon Gravity Star, was worthy of discussing the strongest rank combining orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic.
‘To think that bastard’s vessel was this vast!’
Aryun-nan swallowed dryly, and Light Demon Elder and Sun Demon Elder’s Adam’s apples moved in unison.
Tension was mounting.
Also.
Fear was amplifying.
Everyone had thought the combined attack would be successful.
Until Moon Demon Elder died in that gruesome manner…
Earlier, Aryun-nan and the Three Elder Lords had poured out massive power for a full thirty-some seconds.
At first, they did feel intimidated by the dark, domineering energy characteristic of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that Cheol Ryu-heun had manifested.
However,
Even so, they thought he couldn’t handle combined attacks from the cult’s supreme warriors.
So they all relentlessly unleashed fierce techniques.
A justification that felt somewhat like an excuse – that this was battle, not sparring.
Discarding both pride and shame, they focused only on the combined attack.
To win.
No matter what.
If we just kill Cheol Ryu-heun somehow, this battle is our victory!
With that single-minded purpose, they established an encirclement and pressed forward fiercely.
Things flowed as expected.
The encircled Cheol Ryu-heun only used the Heavenly Demon Divine Art for defense.
There was no gap in the relentless combined attack.
But suddenly, when they passed the thirty-second mark.
Dark demonic energy expanded explosively along with a thunderous sound.
It was Cheol Ryu-heun’s stomping kick.
The released power was simply overwhelming.
It was as if extreme quantities of energy concentrated at a single point burst out in all directions at once.
Aryun-nan and the Three Elder Lords, pushed by the force, bounced back rapidly.
It was a misjudgment.
Numerical superiority was meaningless.
It wasn’t that their relentless attacks had pressured the opponent and prevented them from exposing weaknesses.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s power was on an entirely different dimension.
One who forcibly creates openings even where absolutely none exist.
Cheol Ryu-heun was such an existence.
Immediately after.
A supreme technique created by the Heavenly Demon was executed.
Along with the word “bothersome.”
Thus the revealed Heavenly Demon Gravity Star transformed Moon Demon Elder to powder and he departed the world.
Even his massive iron club was annihilated along with its master.
All that remained of him was a trace of dark reddish bloodstain.
A brief standoff.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s indifferent voice was heard again.
“What, did you wet yourselves?”
In an instant, Aryun-nan thought of one figure.
Grand Prelate Extreme Heavenly Demon Emperor Gun Mu-ak of the current Heavenly Demon Cult…
Sometime before, the current Asura Demon Cult Leader Asura Blade Demon Emperor Sal Ma-ha had told him.
That Extreme Heavenly Demon Emperor Gun Mu-ak had cultivated to supreme achievement of the final stage Ultra-High Vacuum Configuration of Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The Five Demon Cults, with the Heavenly Demon Cult at their head, had remained secluded for two hundred years.
Yet now, a martial artist of orthodox origin who had mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had appeared.
Light Demon Elder and Sun Demon Elder quickly exchanged glances.
Questions were tangled in their exchanged gazes.
Aryun-nan immediately grew suspicious.
Could Cheol Ryu-heun have secretly colluded with the Heavenly Demon Cult? Like Ximen Yue, whom he himself had arranged…?
Soon he rejected it himself.
What nonsense, that’s impossible.
It was absurd.
It didn’t add up.
Come to think of it, the fact that his opponent even operated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art at a complete level despite having transcended the application of the Yang Heart Divine Technique was…
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun’s form moved forward.
STOMP, STOMP…
A leisurely walk suffused with indifference began.
With each step, the space seemed to twist and writhe.
How should one describe that?
Expressions like “overwhelming” and “domineering” were insufficient.
Yes.
It felt as if the supreme majesty of the Heavenly Demon who founded the Heavenly Demon Cult had returned across a thousand years.
Then was the current Grand Prelate Extreme Heavenly Demon Emperor Gun Mu-ak like this too…
KKADEUKT-!
Aryun-nan bit down hard on his molars and issued quiet orders.
“There’s nowhere to retreat. Let’s see this to the end. Whether we die or kill.”
At that, Light Demon Elder and Sun Demon Elder nodded in acknowledgment and re-gripped their Universe Rings and long sword respectively.
Immediately after.
CHEUCHEUTSEUTSEUTSEU…
Aryun-nan, his eyes flashing, released jet-black shimmer.
Simultaneously, his body transformed with audible sounds.
TTUK, TTUDUK, TTUK-
Rapid bone structure growth.
His body grew rapidly from head to toe.
It was a strange phenomenon reminiscent of some kind of Body and Bone Transformation.
Soon Aryun-nan’s appearance had completely changed.
He was no longer a boy.
Having undergone the transformation, he had become a young man with height that had shot up, making his sleeves and trouser hems short.
Early to mid twenties.
It was his appearance before achieving his second reverse aging.
Cheol Ryu-heun, advancing with slow steps, shrugged.
“You’re performing an interesting trick.”
“I’ve withdrawn the power of rejuvenation. It will be quite different from before.”
Aryun-nan’s words meant he had gathered all the energy he’d canceled from his second rejuvenation into his dantian.
As if to prove it, his intangible aura felt heavier.
Most likely, it was the effect of his internal power level having surged.
“Cult Leader…”
“Will you be alright?”
Light Demon Elder and Sun Demon Elder wore worried expressions.
When the power maintaining rejuvenation was converted to internal power, lifespan would be shortened.
It was natural reasoning for a forced reversal application.
That’s what they worried about.
Reckless use could bring about immediate death.
But Aryun-nan didn’t care.
“There’s no choice if we want to win.”
His expression of desperate resolve was murderous.
Cheol Ryu-heun, narrowing the gap, threw out words in an emotionless voice.
“I’ll end this quickly now. Our side’s people will have been injured too.”
“Insolent!”
With Aryun-nan’s rebuke.
PAPAPAPA- PAPAPAPA-!
Light Demon Elder and Sun Demon Elder curved away left and right, executing rapid lightness skills.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun’s form blurred.
PIT-
Outpacing the faint sound, he attacked Sun Demon Elder charging at him from his left.
An approach and sword technique faster than light generated an intangible shockwave that shook the ground.
KWAAAAAAAAA-
An enormous entrance of darkness opened between them.
The black cave engulfed Sun Demon Elder’s vision.
It was chilling.
In a moment shorter than an instant, a tremor swept through his body.
Was this the breath of an absolute demon god who governed death?
Now that it was actually upon him, he understood.
The majesty of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
No.
It would be more correct to call it the majesty of Cheol Ryu-heun who had mastered it.
His body was being drawn in.
Into the endless vortex of darkness.
They say time flows slowly in the crisis of impending death.
Sun Demon Elder could see the entire process of his left arm being sucked into the Heavenly Demon Gravity Star – one by one.
Flesh was torn away.
Blood spurted.
Meanwhile, the muscle and bone comprising his arm were maximally contracting.
He should have felt pain, but fear came first.
So this is how I die.
Foolish.
To try to fight such a person.
He realized too late.
From the start, it was an impossible fight.
Now his entire body was being pulled by the unprecedented gravitational force.
It was dark.
This was the end of life.
Suddenly.
TUDUDUK- PUHAAAK-!
With a chilling sound, his arm was torn off.
HUUUUUUUK- BOOM!
Sun Demon Elder crashed into one wall.
Caught by someone’s grasp.
Only then did the tremendous pain stir up his internal nerves.
“UAAAAAAAK!”
A sharp cry knocked on his ears from right beside him.
“Endure it!”
It was the person who had barely rescued him from the pull of Heavenly Demon Gravity Star.
Light Demon Elder.
Truly charging in with body-ramming momentum, channeling extreme power, he had saved Sun Demon Elder in his moment of death.
Though his left arm had been torn off.
Just then, the flow of air from behind changed.
Light Demon Elder knew without looking.
That it was an attack of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Heavenly Demon Gravity Star?
No, it seemed a different technique had unfolded.
Demonic sword energy, perhaps.
Seeming to annihilate everything in the world as it shot forward in a straight line.
It was already too late to dodge.
In an instant.
KKWAAAAAAAAANG!
A tremendous roar exploded nearby.
“KEOK!”
Light Demon Elder crashed into the wall with a BOOM! from the fiercely surging explosive force.
That attack had fortunately vanished.
Aryun-nan had moved in and blocked Cheol Ryu-heun’s energy.
It must be because his internal power had risen.
But.
‘UOK!’
Tingling hot pain wrapped around Aryun-nan’s wrists.
There was no time to catch his breath.
HUK-
Cheol Ryu-heun, having left the ground, descended fiercely.
The startled Aryun-nan and Light Demon Elder flung their bodies sideways.
They had felt it.
The terrifying power contained in that movement.
If they took that head-on, instant death.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG-!
The stomping kick releasing formidable power destroyed the ground in a three-jang radius.
Jet-black flames covering the ground.
It evoked images of a hell ablaze with dark flames.
Heavenly Demon World-Destroying Step.
Sun Demon Elder, who couldn’t dodge in time, was gone.
Consumed by the black flames generated by Heavenly Demon World-Destroying Step.
Only bones and sword remained forlornly behind.
Light Demon Elder and Aryun-nan had barely escaped the attack range.
But.
KWAAAAAAAAA-
Suddenly, jet-black shimmer gathered massively above their heads and began spinning rapidly.
Heavenly Demon Gravity Star.
It was astounding.
To be able to unleash it across such a great distance.
BOOM-!
The moment Aryun-nan reflexively kicked off the ground and moved.
KWADEUK, KWADEUDEUK, KWADEUK-!
Light Demon Elder’s entire body, sucked into the Heavenly Demon Gravity Star that had formed in the air, was crushed.
A hollow end.
Aryun-nan, who had retreated far, felt his heart pounding.
‘H-how can this be… Is it the return of the Heavenly Demon!’
Just then, Cheol Ryu-heun, pointing his blade tip, spoke.
“You have to follow them too.”
The shattered, broken ground shook up and down.
KUKUKUKU, KUKUKUKUKUKU… DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEUEU…!
Soon holes opened everywhere in the surrounding ground, and dark demonic energy shot up in pillars.
KWAJIK, KWAJIK, KWAJIK- SHUSHUSHU, SHUSHUSHUSHU, SHUSHUSHU-!
It was magnificent.
A wondrous sight.
Was this a requiem for the Heavenly Demon?
It felt as if countless jet-black incense sticks were being burned.
Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke again.
“Today is your memorial day, so I’m specially showing you. The secret technique of the Heavenly Demon that is currently sealed.”