Chapter 384: Seizing the Initiative

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Provocative words that stimulated shame and anger deep within the heart.

Ferocious light swirled fully in Danmok Cheon’s pupils, proving his uncomfortable mood.

Following that, one corner of his lips along with one eyebrow twitched upward.

“Hu…”

A small laugh thickly steeped in killing intent leaked through his lips.

“A dog who tucked tail and ran away, you said?”

“Am I wrong?”

Gun Mu-ak’s voice was still indifferent.

That was further stimulating Danmok Cheon’s uncomfortable mood.

“These days, young ones have quite filthy mouths.”

Simultaneously with those words, Eun Yi-bi and Ya Baek-ji spread out to both sides.

“What’s filthy is your mouth right now.”

“We should pluck out that tongue and throw it to the pigs.”

The two women had already gripped their unique weapons.

A pair of iron bells, a pair of folding fans.

They were the Demon Resonance Bells and Demon Dance Fans that symbolized the sobriquet Little-Face Bell Demoness and Delusional Seductive Demoness.

They were demonic weapons passed down from the era of the first Cult Master, the Heavenly Demon.

When Eun Yi-bi and Ya Baek-ji radiated blatant killing intent and Fighting spirit, the Heaven Emperor Society camp personnel also expressed murderous intangible Aura/Aura/bearing in unison.

Not to be outdone, Gwi Je-shin and Beop-yeol also each brought out weapons representing their lofty martial fame.

They were the Ten Great Heavenly Weapons: Iron Spirit Strange Sword and Blazing Fire Sword.

In an instant, the atmosphere of war descended.

In the midst of that, Danmok Cheon’s ferocious eye-light once again fixed on Gun Mu-ak’s face.

“It seems that Cheol Ryu-heun fellow chattered excitedly. Where did you spirit away the prey we were chasing?”

Gun Mu-ak’s dry answer immediately followed.

“Find out separately.”

“What?”

“In the netherworld.”

Danmok Cheon immediately operated massive Internal energy.

“No, you will be confessing here.”

The ground cracked open and shook fiercely.

JJEOJJEOJJEO, JJEOJJEOJJEOJJEO… KUKUKU, KUKUKUKU…

A truly overwhelming domination surging across space.

A sense of pressure as if innumerable boulders were falling on one’s head.

No wonder the Eastern Heaven Division group also flinched.

Even a super-first-class expert would have all body hair stand on end – such a tremendous momentum.

However, there was no sign of wavering in the expressions of Eun Yi-bi, Ya Baek-ji, Gwi Je-shin, and Beop-yeol.

It wasn’t surprising.

Also.

It wasn’t particularly novel.

No matter how hegemonic Danmok Cheon’s momentum was…

Because.

They had already thoroughly experienced it through Gun Mu-ak and Cheol Ryu-heun.

The outstanding formless Aura/Aura/bearing surpassing all that.

That said, it wasn’t that Danmok Cheon appeared weak.

They had already heard the story about him.

That he had achieved the legendary Nature Assimilation Realm.

That incredible realm of internal energy technique where one draws upon and uses the energy of great nature…

Replenishing exhausted Internal energy with the energy of great nature was truly a lofty transcendent study of the beyond-human realm.

That’s right.

He was an opponent difficult to face without Gun Mu-ak.

No.

Eun Yi-bi and Ya Baek-ji were certain.

That if it were Gun Mu-ak, he could overwhelm Danmok Cheon.

There was an object serving as the standard for that judgment.

Bat Demon Great King Heuk Ma-yung.

The Four Guardian Demon Kings that the Heavenly Demon Cult boasted of were truly terror itself.

Heuk Ma-yung was one who had occupied a seat among them.

That power was at minimum equal to Danmok Cheon, definitely not below.

Therefore, it would be difficult to surpass the terrifying divine might of Grand Prelate Gun Mu-ak, the highest rank within the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Having so confirmed, Eun Yi-bi and Ya Baek-ji raised the cultivation within their bodies.

At that, it felt as if the breath of darkness was encroaching upon the space.

Gwi Je-shin and Beop-yeol also operated ascending Internal energy.

The surrounding atmosphere and ground shook.

URUREUNG, URUREUNG…!

The killing intent and Fighting spirit of two warriors representing the Northern Unorthodox Jianghu were explosively radiated.

KKIGIGING… HWARUREUK…

The Iron Spirit Strange Sword was enveloped in gray energy with metallic sounds, and the Blazing Fire Sword was wrapped in flames like the hot sun.

A crushing heaviness.

At that, the Detached Three Army Corps and Eastern Heaven Division forces felt a peculiar tension.

Something was different from existing information.

They were stronger than expected.

The formless Aura/Aura/bearing that Gwi Je-shin and Beop-yeol were fully radiating…

There was no choice in the matter.

In fact, Gwi Je-shin and Beop-yeol’s martial arts had evolved through Cheol Ryu-heun’s arrangement after coming to the Shiwan Mountains.

Each had consumed large amounts of the legendary elixir Hundred Year Snow Ginseng, and through meditative internal technique training, they had achieved the internal energy technique essences of Thousandfold Steel Martial Master and Flame Power Sword Tyrant King, warriors from eight hundred years ago.

Furthermore, they had even gained additional enlightenment regarding the divine power mystical applications contained in the Ten Great Heavenly Weapons, Iron Spirit Strange Sword and Blazing Fire Sword.

Now, Cheol Ryu-heun and Gun Mu-ak were not the only sudden variables.

At that time.

Gun Mu-ak changed his posture for the first time.

SAAAK.

A sword smoothly drawn out, guided by his hand.

Finally, the ultimate demonic weapon representing the Great Extreme Heaven Demon Emperor’s dignity revealed its sharp form.

A demon god sword forged by quenching with the blood of the divine beast Black Dragon.

The demon god pattern engraved on one side of the blade gave off a terrifying feeling.

Also.

The phrase ‘First Demon God of Nine Heavens and Ten Earths’ engraved on the other side had represented pride based on absolute martial power.

In an instant.

HWAAAAAAAAAK… !

Massive Demonic energy rose above Gun Mu-ak’s figure.

Black haze clumped together like a large mass, writhing and moving fiercely.

It soon changed into the form of a giant.

As if a demon god of darkness had descended.

It was the unique manifested Demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, called the strongest demonic study.

JJEOK, JJEOJJEOK…!

The ground where Gun Mu-ak stood with both feet instantly cracked and burst apart, crying out.

Following that, the surrounding air settled heavily.

At that, the personnel on the opposite side, excluding Danmok Cheon, flinched.

Because merely taking it in with two eyes made them feel as if they would be swept away by that tremendous power.

Numerical advantage still belonged to the Heaven Emperor Society.

Eastern Heaven Division personnel including General-level and Young General-level cadres, about thirty, and about a dozen elite belonging to the Detached Three Army Corps.

Meanwhile, the other side was five people.

Just.

But… what was it?

No matter how one looked at it, the thought that numerical advantage was meaningless arose.

That’s right.

Gun Mu-ak, who flaunted an overwhelming and terrifying Aura as if combining all the spirit of Gwi Je-shin, Beop-yeol, Eun Yi-bi, and Ya Baek-ji, was the cause.

As the dark and hegemonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art spread threateningly.

“Let’s see if you’re better than those fellows.”

At the low words Gun Mu-ak muttered, Danmok Cheon’s gaze grew even hotter.

‘Impudent!’

Because hearing those words, a past event popped into his head.

The conversation during combat at the time he was defeated by Cheol Ryu-heun…

– You’re better than that fellow.

-What do you mean?

– The leader of the blood-robed gang that invaded Murong Family yesterday and was annihilated.

– …!

– Is that unexpected? Your eyes wavered slightly. As expected, you’re the same gang. You too.

– Keukuk. If what you say is true, from now on I’ll have to fight seriously.

– Go ahead, try.

He had fought seriously at that time but was ultimately defeated.

By Cheol Ryu-heun’s internal energy technique essence that surpassed the Nature Assimilation Realm.

It was an ability that completely destroyed the very common sense of martial studies, strange and mysterious.

It was the first time he had experienced something like that in his life until now.

It was truly incomprehensible.

Cheol Ryu-heun’s massive cultivation operation method was a study belonging to an unknown domain, overwhelming even the Nature Assimilation Realm.

He poured out tremendous power continuously without even a brief moment to inhale or exhale.

As if the practice of release and the accumulation of gathering acted instantaneously.

Although the Nature Assimilation Realm was a lofty realm of replenishing exhausted Internal energy with the energy of great nature, performing it as rapidly as Cheol Ryu-heun was impossible.

Danmok Cheon, having erased his thoughts, asked.

“Those fellows?”

“The gang that tried to strike the Green Forest Alliance.”

At Gun Mu-ak’s brief reply, the expressions of the Eastern Heaven Division group hardened.

They had been wondering about the suddenly cut-off communication, and now they realized the inside story.

They had died at the hands of that fearsome Gun Mu-ak.

Danmok Cheon, having tilted his great sword, spoke in a voice thick with killing intent.

“Cheol Ryu-heun’s internal energy technique was truly unfathomable. Being overconfident, I fell to it. But you…”

Trailing off his words, he twisted his lips.

“…what can you show me? No, can you even? You’re not Cheol Ryu-heun.”

In other words, your martial prowess is within expected bounds – that was the meaning.

Danmok Cheon was confident.

That he could overpower with the study of Nature Assimilation Realm.

As he said, Gun Mu-ak wasn’t Cheol Ryu-heun who had mastered the common sense-destroying internal energy technique operation method.

Naturally, he was a superhuman who could have such thoughts.

At that time, Gun Mu-ak muttered.

“Is seizing the initiative necessary?”

At that, Danmok Cheon wore a cold sneer.

“I’ll watch.”

He waggled the hand not holding the great sword.

As if telling him to come at him.

Suddenly.

PAPAPAPAPA…

Five Eastern Heaven Division subordinate blood-robed figures instantly crossed the distance and approached.

A charge?

No.

They had been drawn by an invisible giant hand.

In other words, it was the power of vacuum object manipulation that Gun Mu-ak had executed.

UDEUDEUDEUDEUDEUK… HWARURURURUREUK… !

As each body grotesquely twisted, vast blue flames burst forth.

An explosion of gu poison.

However, that huge fire did not even slightly touch Gun Mu-ak’s body.

It was all swept away and disappeared by a fierce whirlwind.

Immediately after, Gun Mu-ak’s pupils changed at tremendous speed.

TSEUTEUT.

The whites disappeared and turned entirely black.

In that moment, about a dozen subordinate blood-robed figures where Gun Mu-ak’s gaze pointed floated into the sky.

And.

PPUDEUDEUDEUK, PPUDEUK, PPUDEUK… CHYUHAAK, CHYUHAK, CHYUHAAAK…!

All their bodies were cruelly dismembered as gu poison exploded again.

KKWAGWAGWAGWANG, KKWAGWAGWAGWAGWANG… HWAAAAK, HWAAAAK!

The haze of flame fire fiercely spreading skyward.

Danmok Cheon and the enemies realized.

That what Gun Mu-ak had just executed was the destructive eye technique, Black Heaven Demon Eyes.

Said to have been executed by only five people in the history of the Heavenly Demon Cult…

However, there was something they still didn’t know.

The Black Heaven Demon Eyes that Gun Mu-ak had mastered had also expanded in the range of its mystical applications.

Precisely because of the completion of the Demon Extreme Sacred Body.

In other words, its destructive power was completely different from the Black Heaven Demon Eyes of the past.

The Demon Extreme Sacred Body was a secretive study.

The detailed contents regarding it were handled as top secrets of the successive Grand Bishops, the highest rank of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Hence, even Heuk Ma-yung, who was once one of the Four Guardian Demon Kings, didn’t know the exact attributes.

He only knew it was an incomplete ultimate demonic study essence left behind by the first Cult Master, the Heavenly Demon.

That meant a terrifying body capable of displaying abilities aligned with the Nature Assimilation Realm of the Jianghu.

It was so-called a study of devouring fallen spirit energy to improve martial power.

Impossible for anyone who wasn’t a transcendent demon to master…

Yet Gun Mu-ak had not only completed it but added new essences.

“You’re right. I’m not Cheol Ryu-heun. Saying that differently… Cheol Ryu-heun isn’t me either.”

Having so said, Gun Mu-ak pointed the blade forward.

Following that, quiet words again flowed out from between his red lips.

“I handle ‘Life.’ And use it as power.”

Questions arose in the minds of the enemies, including Danmok Cheon.

Life?

Using lifeforce as power, what does that mean?

Gun Mu-ak’s voice transformed into thunder that shook heaven and earth.

– Come. You dogs.