Chapter 438: Showing New Power
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Fragments of the pauldron scattering into the air.
They taught the fearsome power of the Sword Force, flickering like clumped starlight.
Was it trying to sever even his arm?
The Sword Force was falling, not stopping at just smashing the pauldron.
Wang-ryu’s upper body sharply jerked backward.
PAK…
It was truly a movement created by beast-like reflexes.
A reaction speed shorter even than a flash.
It was a hair-raising evasion made the moment the pauldron shattered.
The Sword Force that fell, slicing through the wind, plunged into the ground.
KKWADEUDEUDEUDEUDEUK… KWAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A roar as if dozens of cannonballs had detonated shook all heaven and earth fiercely.
Clods and stones shot up from the broken and burst ground.
TATATAT… !
Wang-ryu secured a stable gap with consecutive back-steps.
Before anyone knew it, he had retreated more than ten paces.
Had his reaction been even slightly slower, his left arm would likely have been severed.
Yet the corners of his lips were drawn up as if in a faint curve.
Why?
It was clearly a moment of obvious crisis, so why was he smiling?
HUUUUNG… !
Cheol Ryu-heun, bursting through the dust cloud, rapidly swung the sword in his right hand.
KYUYUYUYUYUYUNG… !
Along with it, the Sword Force that traced an arc let out an eerie sound.
KIHIIING!
With a metallic sound, Wang-ryu was forced to retreat again by the overwhelming force of the Sword Force.
His body swayed precariously.
It was tremendous power.
It was miraculous that the blade that had successfully defended wasn’t damaged by that power.
Once again, he proved his superb martial prowess.
Because he had withstood the momentum of the Sword Force with just the ascending internal power infused into his blade.
Who else could withstand it like this?
KWIHYUUNG… KWIHYUUUUNG… !
A consecutive rush of Sword Force.
KWAKWANG… KKWANG… !
With a heavy sound, something simultaneously let out a cracking noise.
KKWAJIJIJIJIJIK… !
It was Wang-ryu’s armor.
The arm guard covering his left arm had shattered.
Not stopping there, Sword Force flew in again.
It gave him no time to catch his breath.
KYUYUYUYUYUYUYUYUNG… !
The Sword Force condensed on the Gan Jiang had already transformed at some point.
Its width and radius had widened.
That must mean a massive amount of internal power had been added.
‘That fellow!’
Wang-ryu, having tensed his entire body, also operated additional ascending power and extended the sword in his right hand to meet it.
Thus, the energies of the two collided in the center of the gap.
KUAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
It was a great explosive sound incomparably bigger than the ones that had burst before.
The surrounding trees also thrashed wildly, crying out in protest.
Mixed within it were a series of cracking sounds.
JJAJAJAJAJAK, JJAJAJAJAJAK, JJAJAJAJAJAK……
Though buried in the clamorous explosive sounds, the Black Tortoise Iron Armor had surely shattered.
Indeed.
PEOPEOK, PEOK, PEOPEOK, PEOK……!
Several metal fragments flew off in all directions and embedded into the ground.
And.
SEUSEUSEUSU……
Through the hazy dust, Wang-ryu’s appearance was faintly revealed.
The Black Tortoise Iron Armor had shattered again.
All the guards of his arms and legs had broken off.
Moreover, even the chest-covering breastplate had cracks running through it.
That was not all.
Even the silver mask.
JJEOK, JJEOJEOK…… TUK, TUTUK……
It broke into pieces and fell onto the ground.
That moment was brief.
PIT…
Because Cheol Ryu-heun crashed into him from the front like a ray of light.
Of course, along with a flickering Sword Force.
KWIHYUUUUNG!
Not to be outdone, Wang-ryu exploded the compressed internal power in his iron sword.
Heavy powers collided again.
KUAAAAAAAAAANG… KKWAREUREUREUREURUNG… UDEUDEUDEUDEUDEUK!
The already ruined space was once again twisted, broken, and.
JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOK… JJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOJEOK…
The Black Tortoise Iron Armor including the breastplate once again rang out cracking sounds.
Along with it, even a stinging metallic sound.
TTANG… TTADATTANG… TTADADADATTANG… TTATTANG… !
That was the sound of rays of light striking the remaining armor.
It was the aftereffect of the Sword Force.
It was natural.
After all, it wasn’t something that could be blocked merely by stopping the mass of starlight.
Because each thin ray of light derived from the Sword Force also contained fearsome sword force.
Abruptly.
HUUUUUUUUUUUNG……
The dust cloud that had swallowed the forest suddenly was swept away by a fierce wind and cleanly vanished.
It was the formless energy wind Cheol Ryu-heun had released.
Finally, Wang-ryu’s appearance was clearly revealed.
The Black Tortoise Iron Armor was completely destroyed.
Only some fragments were barely clinging to his body.
It no longer seemed capable of functioning as armor.
No.
It was incapable.
Now it was merely an encumbrance.
As if acknowledging that, Wang-ryu released energy wind throughout his body.
PABABABABAT… HUDUDUDUDUK… !
The fragments clinging to his body flew off and fell in all directions.
Right then.
CHEUJEUJEUT……
Cheol Ryu-heun, gathering the Sword Force, spoke nonchalantly.
“I was curious about that face of yours.”
Wang-ryu’s face, which had been hidden by the mask, gave the feeling of a king.
The eyes, nose, mouth… all of it boasted tremendous weight.
Perhaps a weight of completion achieved through thick, dense lines.
It was truly features that overflowed with dignity.
However.
There was something even more impressive than that.
It was his body.
Though the Black Tortoise Iron Armor was destroyed, his body was completely without wounds.
Only his garments were torn here and there.
Wang-ryu spoke with a heavy voice.
“So this is…… that power.”
Though it was his first time encountering it today, he had immediately recognized it upon seeing its characteristics.
That it was the Sword Force, the extreme sword art created in the past by Sword Emperor Northern God as he attained mastery in wielding the divine energy dormant in the Divine Martial Sword.
The Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic of the world… the groundbreaking sword art acknowledged and revered by all under heaven… had been recreated after a vast span of eight hundred years.
Through Cheol Ryu-heun, the new Sect Master of White Peak Sword Sect, currently called Hunan’s Foremost Martial God.
At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke.
“Looks like you know.”
“Of course I know. I couldn’t not know. if one sees such distinctive energy. the Sword Art called the pinnacle of energy a Sword Master can wield with a Sword…… Anyway, that was splendid skill. Cheol Ryu-heun.”
“You can praise me more.”
Wang-ryu chuckled at Cheol Ryu-heun’s dry response.
“Hu, you’re the first fellow like you. I acknowledge it.”
“Enough.”
Cheol Ryu-heun, along with those words, tilted the Gan Jiang diagonally to the side.
“I’ve smashed the armor, so now I’ll tear up your entire skin.”
At that moment, the formless bearing Wang-ryu was radiating underwent a change.
A presence that had grown even more solemn, as if erasing nature’s vitality wasn’t enough.
It was truly the bearing of a divine general armed with overwhelming aura.
Wang-ryu, with a smile, shook his head.
“No, the order is wrong. now I shall drive you back.”
No sooner had his words ended.
KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU… KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU… !
An enormous formless energy was explosively released and shook the space.
Along with it.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUT……!
With a sharp sound, dark-red shimmer rose from his blade in a large stream.
In that midst.
-Armor was merely auxiliary armament.
Wang-ryu’s Sound Transmission echoed.
Meaning the real start was from now.
Thereupon Cheol Ryu-heun countered with an identical Sound Transmission.
-Yeah, go ahead and show me a proper taste.
Abruptly.
SYUKAAAAAK… JJEOGEOEOONG!
Wang-ryu’s iron sword, flying in within the blink of an eye, struck the Gan Jiang and rang out a loud sound.
KWAHAAANG……!
A shockwave spread in a circle.
This time, it was Cheol Ryu-heun who retreated four or five paces.
As he did, he felt it.
That an energy in the same vein as divine energy was harmonized with the powerful sword force Wang-ryu had released through his iron sword.
A power that made his skin tighten and even his bones feel icy.
Precisely, it was the attribute of extreme cold, freezing energy.
Yet.
SSWASSWASSWASSWA……
White frost had formed along the blade of the Gan Jiang.
Freezing.
The moment Cheol Ryu-heun infused vital energy to annihilate the frost, Wang-ryu closed in.
SYUKAAAAAK!
A charging sword stroke.
JJEOGEOEOONG!
When the two blades clashed, a fierce sound burst out.
PAHAK…
Cheol Ryu-heun was pushed back again by that power.
Moreover, pure-white frost had formed thickly on the blade again.
‘Freezing!’
Cheol Ryu-heun thought.
That’s right.
It was clearly divine energy symbolizing the legendary divine beast, the Black Tortoise of ancient times.
When Wang-ryu, standing in place, swung his sword horizontally.
SYUAAAAAAAT!
Following the trajectory of the iron sword, large, pointed hailstones were released.
TUDUDUDUDUDUT… TUDUDUDUDUDUT… !
The spine-chilling sound of them slicing through the wind.
There were fully a hundred of them.
Each one contained heavy sword energy.
Cheol Ryu-heun instantly executed a sword barrier.
A technique harmonizing sword energy and sword wind… Evil Emperor Yul-Cheon’s craft.
PEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEOPEONG!
In the midst of the noisy explosive sounds.
CHWAHWAHWAHWAHWA……
Frost covered the round surface of the sword barrier.
Because of that, his sword manipulation was forcibly stopped.
TUDUDUDUDUDUT… TUDUDUDUDUDUT… !
Countless hailstones rushed toward Cheol Ryu-heun’s front.
There was one thing similar to this.
The energy technique of the Ice Heaven Divine Palace, composed of the Ice Vein White Clan, the mystical bloodline of the northern region beyond the frontier.
That was called the extreme freezing attribute demonic art.
Yet the fundamental essence was different.
The energy technique of Ice Heaven Divine Palace was an essence that took effect after penetrating into the body.
But Wang-ryu was wielding natural freezing.
That is, this was a power where the internal force itself was released in the form of freezing.
This was akin to a kind of authority bestowed by great nature.
KKWADEUK… KUAAANG!
A stomp executed suddenly and rapidly by Cheol Ryu-heun.
As the ground sank, a vast black energy wave was released outward.
The hailstones were scattered chaotically by that power.
It was Heavenly Demon World-Destroying Step.
But Wang-ryu had already taken position behind him at some point.
When had he moved?
It was movement comparable to the Flying Immortal Windless Light Cheol Ryu-heun had executed earlier.
SSWAESSWAENG!
A massive ice mountain rushed in the shape of a blade.
Targeting his back.
Cheol Ryu-heun had already sensed it with his energy perception.
Yet his feet were bound.
Why?
Because ice had covered up to his ankles at some point and solidified.
Wang-ryu’s skill was exquisite.
When had he scattered the power of freezing onto the ground?
KKWAKKWANG… !
A roar burst in an instant.
The ice as huge as an ice mountain was shattered to pieces at once.
By the golden light that Cheol Ryu-heun explosively released from his whole body.
Diamond Immovable Body Skill.
As a technique of stillness in motion, it was a Shaolin Temple supreme art that truly wielded powerful function.
His response was just as exquisite.
By that power, the ice that had been tightly gripping his feet also shattered to pieces and flew off.
Yet Wang-ryu’s follow-up offensive continued.
Countless sword energies mixed with snow and ice screamed in as a cold gale toward his entire body.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYU… SYUSYUSYUSYUSYU… !
Just as Cheol Ryu-heun had done, he too was not giving the other time to breathe.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG, KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
In the midst of the heavy explosive sounds echoing, Cheol Ryu-heun’s form flew forcefully.
Having received the series of sword forces on his back.
Then.
KKWADEUDUK… KUAAANG!
He smashed deeply into a cliff in the distance.