Chapter 294: Don't Even Breathe
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The second clash between Cheol Ryu-heun and Danmok Cheon began with an earth-shaking clamorous explosion.
KKWAUUUUUUNG-!
The swords of the two, having compressed the distance in an instant, collided in the middle and created a heavy shockwave.
UJIK, UJIJIK, KKWADEUK, KKWADEUDEUK-!
The surrounding vegetation was mercilessly destroyed by the air pressure and wind force.
The ground where the two had collided also rose up haphazardly like the shavings of a planed wooden board and scattered.
Amid the fragments confusing the vision.
JJEOJEOJEONG-!
The metallic sound rang out again.
Competition accomplished again in an instant.
KKWAUUUUUUNG-!
The pressure accompanying the heavy explosion shattered the space.
Then the two retreated quickly, equally by five or six steps.
By the repelling force.
Was it an even match?
Separating like that, they closed the distance again frighteningly fast.
It was movement at a speed that had entered the realm of the superhuman.
The gap was meaningless.
It was movement like two arrows competing to see which was faster.
Thus their swords collided again and spat fire.
JJEONG, JJEOJEONG- KANG, KAKANG-!
The metallic sounds were heard connected as if they were one.
It was offensive and defensive battle for which even the expression “rapid” was insufficient.
In that terrifying explosive pressure, it seemed like the world would collapse.
Great Sword Tyrant Lord Danmok Cheon had been famous in the past as a master of Collapsing Sword.
Great Wild Tyrant Sword Technique was its essence.
A supreme sword path of releasing heavy sword force to crush opponents, requiring deep internal power and strong muscular strength as prerequisites.
However.
Across the gap of blank years, that power had been tremendously improved and strengthened.
That he handled the great sword lightly like an ordinary sword was nothing new, but the pressure of that sword was shocking.
In other words, it far exceeded the level of ordinary Collapsing Sword.
Each time a sword strike was executed, heaven and earth shook.
Already during his Divine Martial Sword days, Cheol Ryu-heun had experienced Danmok Cheon’s Collapsing Sword level through its owner Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon Ba Hun.
Therefore, he knew better than anyone.
The gap in martial prowess between the past and present.
Danmok Cheon’s surprisingly ascended power.
Compared to the past, his overall martial cultivation had reached a truly terrifying level.
The leader of the caped figure gang he had killed yesterday had been nothing.
It was a different tier of martial realm.
Moreover, even his energy was being maintained at a constant level.
Despite continuously releasing extreme-level energy, his internal power level was unchanged.
Had he prepared some kind of mysterious insight or secret method to replenish the power he had used within a fixed time?
At the point when Cheol Ryu-heun and Danmok Cheon had exchanged exactly ten rounds.
KAKANG-!
The two blades stuck together and created a small trembling along with friction sounds.
KKEEK, KKEEK… KKIIKKIIK…
This was a pure energy competition.
When transparent haze spread like ripples.
KKUKKUNG…
Due to the influence of heavy power, the ground was dug out like a hollow.
Amid that, Danmok Cheon raised the corner of his lips.
“Hoot, this body’s energy is not easily depleted.”
At the mocking voice, Cheol Ryu-heun replied apathetically.
“I know.”
“I wonder if you really know what it is?”
“Nature Assimilation Realm.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s words, Danmok Cheon’s smile deepened.
“Oho, you’re impressive.”
Nature Assimilation Realm was a legendary internal Energy Cultivation realm that drew upon and used the energy of great nature.
There was no limit to it.
Why?
Because the energy of great nature was infinite.
That is, it meant he could draw natural energy as internal power and use it until his body couldn’t endure anymore.
In other words, the duration of the Nature Assimilation Realm depended on the physical limits of its practitioner.
A truly supreme realm.
Replenishing depleted internal power with the energy of great nature was itself a transcendent cultivation beyond human.
Although that limit existed, it was practically close to a invincible level…
Throughout history, the martial artists who had reached Nature Assimilation Realm were very few.
Among them, the representative example was Bodhidharma, the great master of Buddhism who was the Heavenly Demon’s rival and the patriarch of Shaolin Temple.
He had realized the Nature Assimilation Realm through nine years of wall-facing cultivation in the past.
Also, Zhang Sanfeng, the founding patriarch of the Wudang Sect who had pioneered new heights of Taoist martial arts and sublimated the subtleties of Tai Chi into peerless martial arts, was also the same.
Thus, just from the historical standing of those who had achieved the Nature Assimilation Realm, Danmok Cheon’s current martial cultivation was vividly proven to be at a supreme realm.
But Cheol Ryu-heun remained expressionless even having seen through the truth.
Danmok Cheon spoke again meaningfully.
“Your body is also similar to this, isn’t it? I’ve already heard the rumors. The ability to refill energy as much as it’s depleted… keuk, it wasn’t a false rumor. Now that we’ve actually competed, I know.”
“…”
“I’m quite curious whose body will reach its limit first.”
No sooner had the words ended.
KKEEK, KKIRIRIK, KKIRIK…!
The friction sound of the two blades grew louder.
Amid that, Cheol Ryu-heun indifferently opened his mouth.
“Not similar.”
“Huhoot. That was what I wanted to say. Whatever you’ve realized, you cannot surpass the essence of the Nature Assimilation Realm. Now, bring out something else. That should make it interesting. Yes, how about the Sword Emperor’s authentic transmission?”
Provocative words saying it wouldn’t work on him.
“If you want.”
“Will I get to see the famous Sword Steel?”
This time, Cheol Ryu-heun provoked.
“It’s too good for the likes of you.”
At those words, Danmok Cheon’s competitive spirit grew even larger.
“Too good? Kekeuk, an insolent fellow to the end.”
“I have no intention of using it.”
As he said, Cheol Ryu-heun had no intention of using Sword Steel from the beginning.
To be precise, he had excluded all martial arts and supreme techniques requiring the Divine Martial Sword’s original unfathomable divine power.
Why?
The reason was simple.
Because there was somewhere else it had to be used.
Namely, the ancient Heavenly Demon’s demon essence that existed within the secret location.
The core material that would fully awaken the potential of Ximen Yue’s special body, the Light-Dark Harmony Secret Meridian.
To handle that, a massive amount of divine power had to be used.
So he had completely excluded it.
Techniques requiring divine power operation like Sword Steel.
He could use them if he wanted to, but then matters would become too slow.
Divine power was a power of different nature from internal power.
It wasn’t something that could be replenished just because one wanted to.
Supplementation, recovery, and such required a fixed amount of time.
Moreover, wasn’t Cheol Ryu-heun’s current divine power level incomplete?
He was still in a state where only less than half of his Divine Martial Sword days’ amount could be operated, and the process of accumulating it after use was also somewhat slow.
Depending on the amount consumed, it would take as long as several days.
Therefore, Cheol Ryu-heun’s thoughts were firm.
He would not delay to tomorrow what could be finished today.
However, he did intend to bring out Sword Emperor Buk Ga-shin’s authentic transmission that had been mentioned earlier.
Was Sword Steel the only supreme art?
No.
In the past, that epithet of Sword Emperor had originated from his unique sword learning.
Celestial Emperor Sword Path.
That’s right.
The authentic transmission of the Sword Emperor that Cheol Ryu-heun was about to show from now on was Celestial Emperor Sword Path, called a sword art bestowed by heaven.
And there was one more thing he would show.
“I don’t need things like natural energy.”
At Cheol Ryu-heun’s words, Danmok Cheon gleamed his eyes.
“What did you say?”
“I…”
KKIRIRIRIRIK, KKIRIRRIRIRIK-!
The friction sound of the blades rang out louder.
It was energy where superiority was hard to determine.
For now.
Cheol Ryu-heun’s bland voice continued.
“Because my flesh itself is infinite nature.”
“…!”
“The cultivation of Nature Assimilation Realm – the key would be time.”
“That means…”
“Without even breathing, you’ll have to draw in natural energy. To handle this extremely fast power.”
Suddenly an explosion burst and.
KKWANG-!
As haze spread, Cheol Ryu-heun and Danmok Cheon’s forms finally separated.
CHWAHAAT-
Danmok Cheon, having retreated while scraping the ground with his soles, let his expression slightly harden.
‘Ho, would you look at this?’
Because slight pain had assaulted his wrist.
In contrast, Cheol Ryu-heun still had an expressionless face.
“Replenish.”
He meant to quickly accumulate internal power using the essence of Nature Assimilation Realm.
Clear provocation.
That touched Danmok Cheon’s uncomfortable mood.
“Insolent fellow!”
Thick murderous intent beyond competitive spirit.
Thus Danmok Cheon replenished his depleted internal power and rapidly ran.
TEONG!
The ground ruptured from energy explosively released through his Bubbling Well acupoint.
Simultaneously.
PAT-
Cheol Ryu-heun also rushed as if flying and grazing over the ground.
The long great sword burst with wind sound.
Pressure bursting out following the blade falling vertically.
Heavy hard force was released and split the atmosphere.
It was a sword technique representing maximum internal power.
The world was being split in half following the blade.
Indeed, it was overwhelming Collapsing Sword.
Although the sword tip hadn’t even fully come out forward yet, the heavy sword force and wind pressure made it seem like the entire space ahead was being bounced backward whole.
However, the advancing Cheol Ryu-heun’s Gan jiang Sword wasn’t pushed back.
It released its own sword energy while piercing through the opponent’s tyrannical momentum.
The two’s sword techniques collided.
Amid the competition between the falling blade and the straight-advancing blade, fearsome power burst forth.
Extreme-level energy was equally matched.
The two blades competed in strength, making KKIGIK! sounds.
Up to there.
In an instant.
KKIKKIKKIKKIKKIKKI-
The Gan jiang Sword strongly rubbed as if scraping against the opponent’s blade and.
JJEONG- KWAKKWANG- JJEOJEONG- KWAKKWANG!
It delivered two explosive impacts.
And in sync with those sounds, the arm of Danmok Cheon gripping the sword hilt swayed greatly back and forth.
Moreover, all were at extreme-level energy.
It was power release accomplished in a gap where even an instant was long.
Danmok Cheon was astonished.
How could this be!
An inaudible cry in his heart.
The two sword strikes Cheol Ryu-heun had just executed were wondrous.
They had separated and attached by about the thickness of a sheet of paper.
It was a gap difficult to even see with the naked eye.
Yet absurd power had come crashing in.
As if having swung fiercely after pulling far away, heavy impacts had pounded as if to break the blade.
That was one of the three sword techniques composing the Celestial Emperor Sword Path.
Great Emperor Three Sword Forms.
Its essence lay in ultimate power release that divided even a sliver of time.
Moreover, it was the same extreme-level energy.
All three times.
Danmok Cheon thought.
A monster.
Was such extreme-level energy operation possible?
It was incomprehensible.
No matter how strong one was, the blood flow of their muscles and meridians should rupture.
That was surely one of the moves within the Celestial Emperor Sword Path, Sword Emperor Buk Ga-shin’s sword essences recorded in history.
It matched the wondrous function of the Great Emperor Three Sword Forms.
But the accompanying energy circulation laws seemed to be Cheol Ryu-heun’s own cultivation.
A sense of crisis rapidly heightened.
Danmok Cheon pushed off the ground as if pushing forward with both feet and retreated.
His intention was to reset the distance and compete again.
He judged that the three swords in an instant that Cheol Ryu-heun had executed were swordsmanship specialized for close combat.
But.
PIT-
Cheol Ryu-heun didn’t permit him to distance himself.
Flying Immortal Windless Light.
The supreme lightness arts that Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya had created.
Approaching without wind, without sound, without shadow.
Unfathomable movement displayed with extreme-level energy.
Danmok Cheon instinctively swept the great sword horizontally.
It was a motion made from only seeing very, very hazily with his naked eyes.
Simultaneously.
KKWANG- KKWAKKWANG- KKWANG-!
Sword strikes continuously pounding the massive blade.
It was power that stole one’s flow.
Dominating time through energy circulation speed, and subduing the opponent with maximum energy.
Danmok Cheon retreated rapidly again and was astonished.
Movement techniques presumed to be at extreme-level energy, and immediately following that, executing sword strikes at the same level of energy?
Without even a brief moment to inhale or exhale?
No, and his dantian was still fine after that?
It was power that couldn’t be understood at all.
It seemed as if releasing and accumulating energy were acting instantaneously.
That was impossible for him.
Although the Nature Assimilation Realm was a realm that replenished depleted internal power with the energy of great nature, it was difficult to perform as rapidly as Cheol Ryu-heun.
No.
Even the expression “rapid” was insufficient.
That consecutive extreme-level energy releases without even a gap to breathe were possible – achieving accumulation and circulation for that was something that made no sense.
At that moment, sharp sword light rapidly curved into the retreating Danmok Cheon’s vision.
SSWESSWEUNG!