Chapter 431: Entangled Battle
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Heuk Ma-yung’s body was instantly enveloped in pitch-black current.
As if becoming one with Mo Dok-jae lying on the altar.
Following that.
DEOLKEOK!
Tremendous power approached and tightly constricted his body.
Some kind of formless energy, perhaps.
It was utterly difficult to breathe.
In the moment startled Heuk Ma-yung tried to withdraw his fangs.
-Do not reject me…… Surrender…… that body.
Once again, a strange voice resonating in his mind.
Heuk Ma-yung’s already pale complexion turned even whiter.
He finally came to realize.
How powerful that force of the soul-body fragment was, even if it was merely a piece.
In an instant, Heuk Ma-yung’s vision turned to darkness.
It was the phenomenon of forced entry into the mental realm.
That too was the power of the soul-body fragment.
At that time, formless waves shook Heuk Ma-yung’s mental realm.
DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU…
He suddenly realized what that was.
That it was a part of the self-consciousness contained in the Demon God’s soul-body.
It was continuously pounding against the walls of his mental realm.
Intending to shatter his mind and then take his body.
That is, it was power that had maximized the desires belonging to primal instinct.
Thinking only of snatching and taking possession……
Heuk Ma-yung felt heightened crisis and explosively released his power to its maximum.
Thanks to that, he could barely breathe again.
However, his consciousness was still trapped within the mental realm.
In that midst, the formless waves grew larger by the moment.
‘KEUK! At, at this rate…… I’ll be devoured!’
Heuk Ma-yung fiercely released his internal power once more.
At that moment, strain came upon his body.
A pang!
Pain coursing through his heart vessels.
It seemed to be the effect of accumulated shock from fighting Gun Mu-ak.
Of course, it couldn’t be helped.
At first, he exchanged about ten or so evenly matched blows, but eventually he had to retreat repeatedly under Gun Mu-ak’s overwhelming power.
The aspect of the fight had changed to one-sided attack and defense.
Then around the thirtieth exchange, he suffered slight internal injuries.
Indeed, his supreme martial prowess was befitting of a demon dreaming of the Heavenly Demon’s second coming.
That was why he had arrived at this dangerous, extreme choice.
Directly contacting the soul-body fragment.
It was already too late to turn back.
It was a competition of devour or be devoured.
There was no other way.
That’s right.
Since he had already drawn his sword, he must cut something.
‘KKEUK…… Going all the way!’
Meanwhile, the supreme binding sorcery that Snake-Robed Hwa-rang had executed rapidly lost its power.
More precisely, it was shattered by the terrifying gravitational pull of the darkness.
Most of the large light net that had spread was sucked into the Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars.
Right at that moment.
PAPAPAPAPA…
Over ten Heretic Cult members rushed toward Gun Mu-ak’s left and right sides.
Intending to buy time for Snake-Robed Hwa-rang to deploy his next sorcery.
But that was a meaningless gesture.
KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAAAAA…
In an instant, entrances of darkness opened on both sides of Gun Mu-ak.
“Heok!”
“Eoeok!”
Heavy and terrifying power rapidly drew them all in.
It was truly an endless pull of darkness.
Thus, the moment the ten-odd people were trapped inside the darkness.
KWADEUDEUDEUK, KWADEUDEUDEUK, KWADEUDEUDEUK, KWADEUDEUDEUK……!
Each of their bodies was mercilessly twisted by demonic energy.
Bodies compressed to the point their forms were unrecognizable, then crumbling to powder and disappearing.
SEUSEUSEUSEU, SEUSEUSEUSEU……
The gravity, compression, destruction, and annihilation… the might of Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars displaying all these essences at once was at an awe-inspiring level.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, who saw this, felt chilled to the heart.
‘That monster bastard……!’
Now that he faced him directly, he understood.
Just how fearsome the power Gun Mu-ak was releasing was.
Why he had attained the position of the youngest Great Prelate in Heavenly Demon Cult history.
To generate and operate Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars in both directions simultaneously……
Great Sword Tyrant Lord Danmok Cheon’s account of his experience was accurate.
Easy to say, but not something just anyone could do.
The three Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars soon vanished without a trace.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having at some point taken out talismans, shouted.
“Block him!”
Over ten Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing of the first, second, and third Generation rushed toward Gun Mu-ak.
Along with that, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang stuck a talisman to the ground.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUK… SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUK… !
A red wave arose from the talisman as if dusk was rapidly spreading.
Also, above it appeared countless doppelgangers resembling Forbidden Soul Ghost Things, dashing fiercely forward.
Red Wave Illusion Summoning Art.
It was one of the high-level sorceries of the Heretic Cult school that summons large-scale phantoms while striking the target.
A combined attack harmonizing Red Wave Illusion Summoning Art and the Forbidden Soul Ghost Thing group.
Yet Gun Mu-ak himself showed no movement.
Instead.
HUWAAAAK!
A human-faced black curtain appeared before him.
Like a wall of darkness resembling the face of a giant demon god.
Heavenly Demon Steel Soul Barrier.
A superb technique sharing the same essence as Body Protecting Bullet Energy Skill, called the iron shield within Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The fierce combined assault collided head-on with it.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG, KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
A massive roar shook the ground.
It was a contest between countless flying spears and a blocking shield.
But the series of explosive sounds soon subsided.
They ultimately failed to break through.
The shield of Heavenly Demon Divine Art that protected Gun Mu-ak.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang’s anxiety reached its peak.
‘Damn it!’
The sorcery of the Heretic Cult could not exert its full power in this place.
Because of those rays of light piercing through that night sky and pouring down to the ground.
That was why he had only been using sorceries he had learned during his Dongyeong days.
Of course, he had strengthened their essence after joining the Heretic Cult.
However, that power was not properly affecting his opponent.
‘Is higher-level sorcery needed! But if that happens……!’
Suddenly, Heuk Ma-yung’s Sound Transmission Mind-to-Mind struck his eardrums.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang immediately reacted irritably.
In that midst, Gun Mu-ak approached with a leisurely posture.
“Do you have any remaining tricks?”
It was not simple arrogance but the conceit of an invincible being.
As if everything was under his control.
Once more, over ten Soul-Snatching Ghost-Becoming Body from the surroundings swiftly gathered and began advancing with violent momentum.
It was practically a suicidal act.
In front of him still stood Heavenly Demon Steel Soul Barrier, operated with ascending power, like an invincible shield.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
Clamorous explosive sounds followed again.
As a result, a dust cloud obscured the field of vision.
In that midst, Soul-Snatching Ghost-Becoming Bodies continued swarming in and striking.
KWAKWANG…… KWAKWAKWANG…… KWAKWANG……
It was truly a desperate movement to buy time.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang quickly surveyed the battlefield in that opening.
‘Him too, but……’
That man visible over there.
Cheol Ryu-heun.
Under his hand techniques, the remaining Darkness-Craving Blood Clan were all exploding in succession.
‘……Cheol Ryu-heun is the bigger problem!’
Having shouted internally, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang made up his mind to bring out his hidden trump card.
‘There’s no choice!’
The moment he immediately extended his left palm toward the altar direction.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYU…
Murky current gushed out and wrapped around the altar in a circular motion.
It was a high-level sorcery similar to a kind of energy barrier, protecting the area around Heuk Ma-yung.
To break through this, one would need tremendous internal power as well as the mental force of the soul.
However, its duration was not long.
It was merely a stopgap measure.
After that, he issued an order to the Five Palace Masters.
“Everyone, this way!”
The moment the five swiftly gathered nearby.
“Quickly, stick this to your chests! You’ll be able to temporarily strip away the power of that light! Not completely, but enough!”
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang distributed five deep-blue talismans.
On the surfaces were drawn indecipherable characters and skull patterns.
The Five Palace Masters attached them to their chests without a word.
Simultaneously, dark light enveloped each of their bodies.
CHEUCHEUCHEUCHEU, CHEUCHEUCHEUCHEU……
It was the phenomenon of each person’s sorcery power being temporarily enhanced by the talismans.
At the cost of depleting their life force.
The danger of the talismans Snake-Robed Hwa-rang distributed was proportional to the duration of use.
Meaning if they kept them attached for too long, they would ultimately lose their lives.
However, the Five Palace Masters had the look of those who had even resolved themselves for death.
“Now, scatter and disrupt the battle situation as much as possible! I too shall execute my final sorcery!”
“Yes!”
Having answered in unison thus, the Five Palace Masters leaped into the pandemonium permeated with the smell of blood.
Next, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having allied with several Forbidden Soul Ghost Things, sent Sound Transmission Mind-to-Mind to Snake-Robed Hwa-nong who was facing Hae Su-yeon.
Having discerned what that meant, Snake-Robed Hwa-nong hastily retreated and positioned herself beside Snake-Robed Hwa-rang.
“Let’s begin!”
“Yes, Brother!”
Thus, the two faced each other and pressed their palms together while rapidly muttering unintelligible words.
Soon.
CHWAHWAHWAHWAHWA……!
A fierce whirlwind wrapped around and surged up from the bodies of those two.
Within it, various ghostly forms could be seen.
-Wuuuuuu, wuuuuuuuu……!
A spine-chilling ghost valley sound echoed loudly.
At that moment, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong each cried out with desperate expressions.
“I shall make a place for you in my soul, so descend upon this body!”
“I scatter my spirit, so you dead ones, rise!”
The strange phenomenon that appeared immediately after.
The fiercely swirling whirlwind suddenly split into two.
Then it was absorbed into and disappeared into the bodies of Snake-Robed Hwa-rang and Snake-Robed Hwa-nong.
In a flash, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang’s muscles and bones changed bizarrely.
UDEUK, UDEUDEUK, UDEUK, UDEUDEUK…
Into the form of a goblin with a body like a large boulder, reddish skin, and gripping a large, long axe made of black flames.
It was the appearance of Dae-ak-hwan, the legendary monster and Mountain Spirit called the mightiest of Dongyeong.
And Snake-Robed Hwa-nong’s form transformed into a giant skeleton emitting blue ghost flames.
It was a spirit-summoning art sacrificing each one’s spiritual life force.
That was not the end.
DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEU…
The ground shook greatly here and there, and over a hundred skeletons wrapped in dark-blue flames burst forth.
Power to forcibly control the dead.
Was this a technique in the same vein as corpse manipulation art (???), the absolute taboo of the Jianghu?
It was the extreme of perversion.
It was unfair enough to be dragged here and killed, but to play foul tricks even on the corpses……
KWAKWAKWAKWA, KWAKWAKWAKWA…
A new chaos began as the skeleton unit joined the fight.
And Snake-Robed Hwa-nong once again targeted Hae Su-yeon.
Leading multiple shielding skeletons.
Also, Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, who had transformed through the possession of Dae-ak-hwan, targeted Gun Mu-ak in front.
The contest between the two was one that transcended the mortal world.
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, transformed into Dae-ak-hwan, strongly pressured Gun Mu-ak by pouring down dark clouds, rain, wind, thunder, lightning, and even a rain of fire.
However, Heavenly Demon Divine Art was equally solid.
He parried and smashed all of that while advancing forward.
Suddenly.
KUUUUUUUUUUU… !
A vast, pure-white, mountain-shaped sword energy rushed toward him at rapid speed like a tidal wave.
That energy struck Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, who had transformed into Dae-ak-hwan.
KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
-Uuok!
Snake-Robed Hwa-rang, having let out a groan, retreated far away.
Cheol Ryu-heun had intervened after cleanly clearing his surroundings.
“It’s annoying, so let’s end this.”
When he indicated somewhere with a chin gesture, Gun Mu-ak soon flew like a ray of light.
It was precisely toward the altar.
Gun Mu-ak executed Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice Ritual, utilizing pinnacle power, simultaneously with his approach.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG!
By that fearsome demonic energy, the high-level sorcery in the form of energy barrier that Snake-Robed Hwa-rang had arranged was shattered in one stroke.
Heuk Ma-yung, wrapped in black shimmer, still had his head buried in Mo Dok-jae.
Gun Mu-ak looked at him and let out a disinterested voice.
“Your foolish antics end here.”
No sooner had his words ended than a blade dropped toward Heuk Ma-yung’s back.
SYUKAAAAAK!
Maximized demonic energy was released through the Demon God Sword.
Right at that moment.
PEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOONG!
A round and enormous dark curtain deflected the Demon God Sword.
It was the energy wave Heuk Ma-yung had released.
‘Ut!’
Gun Mu-ak, pushed back by that force, quickly retreated five or six steps.
And he saw.
The appearance of Heuk Ma-yung, whose entire body had turned pitch-black.
Yet his pupils alone were different.
They held a dark-red light that gave a chilling feeling just to look at.
Heuk Ma-yung, his eye light flashing, smiled.
“KEUKKEUK, what was that you were jabbering about?”
At that moment, there was another who was smiling.
It was none other than Black Tortoise Divine General Wang-ryu, watching that spectacle from afar.
‘HUT, it seems the time for me to move has arrived.’