Chapter 439: Giving and Taking
Read more at Nineheavens.org
KKWADEUK, KKWADEUDUK, KKWADEUK…… KKUNG, KKUKKUNG, KKUNG……
Roars heard like faint echoes from beyond the giant hole made in the cliff.
It was the sound of thick stone being destroyed in a chain.
It seemed Cheol Ryu-heun’s body had been driven into quite a deep place.
Immediately after.
WAREUREU, WAREUREU…… KUREUREUREUNG, KUREUREUREUNG……!
A massive heap of stones fell from high up on the steep cliff and completely blocked up that giant hole.
In the midst of thick dust rising up like billowing clouds.
SEUK.
Wang-ryu then tilted the tip of his iron sword toward the ground and executed lightness technique, floating through the air like a bird roaming the sky.
The scenery within his sight rapidly compressed into a single point as it passed by.
Thus, he reached the distant cliff in one stroke.
His eyes, viewing the hole blocked by large and small stones, emitted light as sharp and chill as a freshly honed blade.
Following that, his lips let out a heavy voice.
“Now do you feel the bitter taste?”
-Yeah, go ahead and show me a proper taste.
It was a mocking retort to those words Cheol Ryu-heun had uttered.
Of course, there was no way those words could reach his ears through that heap of stones, but……
But right then.
KUUU……
A vibration arose from within the cliff in front.
Thereupon Wang-ryu wore a faint smile.
“Hut. Yes, hurry out. I shall finish you.”
No sooner had his words ended than that trembling grew even fiercer.
KUUU…… KUUUNG…… KUUUUUNG……!
Suddenly, the countless stones tightly blocking the giant hole exploded with a loud sound.
KKWAAAAAAAANG… TUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUT, TUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUT… !
A gale of dust and stones mixed together swept fiercely toward Wang-ryu.
Yet it did not touch his body.
Instead.
KKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK, KKAKAKAKAKAKAKAK……!
A thick ice wall blocked the rushing debris.
He had generated a giant shield through the essence of freezing at some point.
Wang-ryu intuited.
That what came next was the real attack.
Indeed.
KIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHING… KKWADEUDEUDEUDEUDEUDUK!
The giant shield made of ice suddenly broke in half and burst.
Due to Cheol Ryu-heun’s sword force, having rapidly closed in.
White powder and ice fragments scattered hazily in the midst.
SSWAESSWAENG!
A blue blade suddenly burst through that chaotic field of vision, piercing straight forward.
It was the Gan Jiang.
JJEOJJEONG… PEOPEONG!
While parrying the sword force, Wang-ryu extended his left palm forward.
Palm force released through his palm.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYU… !
A blizzard of extreme cold accompanying a snowstorm was released.
It was truly a transcendent movement that performed offense and defense simultaneously.
Moreover, even with fearsome internal power no less than the sword force he had defended against.
PEOHEONG, PEOHEOEOONG, PEOHEONG!
Cheol Ryu-heun, having similarly executed a left-hand palm technique to defend, was pushed back over ten paces.
Wang-ryu did not press the advantage and instead observed his opponent.
“That one was decent.”
That was closer to arrogant mockery than meaning praise.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having heard those words, brushed off the frost that had settled on his martial attire and then calmly opened his mouth.
“Heum, Indeed unharmed. this is why one must wear fine clothes.”
Indeed, the black martial attire he wore showed not even a single trivial scratch.
This was because it was an item made from the shed skin of the Blood-Eye Black Divine Python.
The essence of being impervious to blades, swords, water, and fire.
Yet unlike the Black Tortoise Iron Armor that had been destroyed earlier, it did not possess wondrous abilities such as reflecting the opponent’s internal power.
Wang-ryu had long since discerned that part.
“Even if your clothes are unharmed, your body is not. my internal power must already be having an adverse effect inside your body.”
“You’re quite strong Indeed. did you consume the inner core of the Black Tortoise or something? well, I don’t really know whether that Divine beast actually existed in ancient times.”
“Are you disconcerted?”
“Does it look that way?”
“I suppose so. by now you must clearly realize your position. throw away that shallow bravado.”
“And where is my position?”
“Beneath my feet.”
“How filthy. just hearing it makes it reek.”
Thereupon Wang-ryu, having chuckled, lifted his iron sword before his chest and spoke.
“Fear not. you won’t be able to smell it. Because you shall meet death with your entire body frozen.”
A terrifying bearing of his entire being, clotted with vicious killing intent and aggression.
KUKUKUKUKUKUKU, KUKUKUKUKUKUKU…
The formless energy carrying Wang-ryu’s spirit fiercely shook the forest once more.
No.
It had grown even fiercer than before.
It was a majesty of the absolute that might make even the most renowned master suffocate.
That was a warning.
That from now on, he would not spare his internal power to conclude matters.
PAT…
Cheol Ryu-heun immediately sprinted.
At the same time the gap was compressed in an instant, the Gan Jiang spewed a flash.
A horizontal stroke.
Wang-ryu, having read that hand technique, was about to move his sword when he flinched.
‘Heo!’
The blade crossing at high speed was actually releasing vertical sword energy.
Evil Emperor Yul-Cheon’s Reverse Heaven Sword Forms.
The sword energy that had penetrated the momentary hesitation exploded with a loud sound.
KKWANG!
Wang-ryu’s body, having defended at the last moment, was slightly pushed back.
Before the explosive sound had even faded.
FLASH… HWAAAAAK!
The Gan Jiang released a vast energy.
White radiance sword energy charging toward the opponent.
It resembled a giant pillar.
That was not merely a large sword force.
Countless sword winds wielding the essences of vertical and horizontal motion also accompanied the charging sword energy.
The essence of the Reverse Heaven Sword Forms, which they say even a rare genius would find difficult to master, was deployed.
Reverse Heaven Piercing Void Strike.
A finishing move symbolizing the dignity of the only Unorthodox Emperor in history.
The power, momentum, pressure… all of it was truly of singular finesse as a sword force.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYU… CHWAHWAHWAHWAHWA… !
Not to be outdone, Wang-ryu released energy resembling a barrier with the power of freezing for defense.
It looked as if ice had wrapped around his entire body in an instant.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
In the midst of explosive sounds echoing, Wang-ryu was pushed back again.
This time, two or three paces.
Right then.
KWAHAA… !
A heavy energy approached from behind Wang-ryu.
It was a power Cheol Ryu-heun had executed simultaneously with unleashing the Reverse Heaven Piercing Void Strike, an ambush using Riding On Energy.
Thus, a giant transparent palm struck Wang-ryu’s rear.
KKWAUUUUNG!
What was shattered by the Riding On Energy was not his body but an ice wall.
Wang-ryu had defended against even that power at the last moment.
At that instant, solemn demonic energy appeared, blocking his left and right as if to barricade them.
KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAAA… !
Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars rapidly generated in both directions.
It seemed as though the gates of an endless dark hell had opened.
It was power that would rupture an ordinary master’s body in an instant.
Yet Wang-ryu withstood it with just his dense internal power.
Was that all?
He even released vast dark-red energy waves throughout his body.
SYUHAT… SYUHAAAAT… !
When countless currents shaped like Black Tortoises explosively spread in all directions like circular waves.
KKWAUUUUUUUNG… KKWAUUUUUUNG… !
The Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars on the left and right instantly became hazy and completely vanished.
Strength against strength.
Indeed.
It was a fearsome level of internal power that offset the might of the Heavenly Demon Gravity Stars.
Wang-ryu’s bold Sound Transmission.
Meanwhile, five or six exchanges passed like rays of light.
It was truly an unbelievable speed.
Yet Cheol Ryu-heun’s sword force continuously penetrated openings in every flash of a moment.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Sword Emperor Northern God’s Heaven Emperor Sword Path, Evil Emperor Yul-Cheon’s Reverse Heaven Sword Forms, Martial Immortal Dongbang Ya’s Extreme Immortal Sword Technique, Blood God Mu-wol’s Blood Stream Divine Demon Art rushed in indiscriminately.
Moreover, all of them were fearsome finishing moves.
The direction of the chain offensive was also indiscriminate.
It literally flew in having sealed Wang-ryu’s front, back, left, and right.
Before long, the flow of the fight had solidified.
Cheol Ryu-heun on the offensive throughout, Wang-ryu on the defensive throughout.
KWAKWANG… PEOPEONG… JJEOJEONG… KUKUNG… !
All manner of roars fiercely shook the mountains and rivers.
It sounded like one continuous sound.
That’s how rapid Cheol Ryu-heun’s hand techniques were.
He endlessly poured out massive internal power and kept pouring it out, pressing the opponent as he retreated step by step.
The forest covered in thick dust.
Wang-ryu’s expression, having been focused on defense throughout, changed.
‘This is……!’
The reason his expression had changed was one.
Because various attributes of powerful energies were suddenly detected from all directions.
KUKUKUKUKUKUKU, KUKUKUKUKUKUKU, KUKUKUKUKUKUKU…… DEUDEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEUDEU, DEUDEUDEUDEUDEUDEU……!
The broad ground let out fierce trembling.
KWAJIJIK, KWAJIJIK, KWAJIJIK… SYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYU… !
From different directions, five rays of light burst through the ground and surged up fiercely like giant pillars.
It was a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle.
As if a heavenly god was generating pillars of light on the ground in order to descend to earth.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA, KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA, KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAKWA……!
Was this a kind of requiem mass?
It even gave the feeling of burning incense made of colorful lights.
In that midst, Cheol Ryu-heun’s measured offensive continued to approach.
KWACHAHANG, JJEOGEOEOONG, KKAKAKANG… !
Metallic and shimmer sounds burst ceaselessly.
The hand techniques of Wang-ryu blocking those finally let out precarious tremors.
‘Keum!’
He still had not allowed an attack that directly struck his body.
However.
A problem had arisen.
The internal power within his body was finally running low.
It had naturally been depleted during the successive defensive actions against Cheol Ryu-heun’s offensive.
It was a predetermined result.
After all, the essence of the inner energy cultivation technique wielded by Cheol Ryu-heun’s body was beyond comparison even to the legendary Nature Assimilation Realm.
It was truly an absolute and unique body.
An endless sky and an ocean that does not dry up, a fearsome power that would only stop when that life was cut off.
Look, even now, the spirit contained in Cheol Ryu-heun’s internal power showed no change.
He was maintaining destructive power throughout.
And while doing so, he had even generated pillars of light in all four directions.
It was an ability that could only be called divine prowess.
Suddenly, Cheol Ryu-heun’s nonchalant voice was heard.
“Those are the same as a combined attack by absolute beings.”
The pillars of light… that’s what he was referring to.
Only then did Wang-ryu realize.
That the giant lights surrounding all four directions were applications of the essence of Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice Ritual.
That’s right.
The five giant energies symbolized, respectively, Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, Evil Emperor, Martial Immortal, and Blood God.
The energies of those five had been harmonized through the essence of Heavenly Demon Grand Sacrifice Ritual and executed.
Each one’s attribute was different.
Yet pinnacle-level internal power of the same caliber was loaded in each.
It was the moment an unprecedented martial art, possible only by Cheol Ryu-heun’s body, was born.
It was a technique of truly divine domain.
No.
Honestly, just being able to use such a thing was of divine caliber.
KWACHAHANG… KKWAUUUUNG!
Wang-ryu’s form swayed after receiving one powerful sword stroke.
PIT…
In that gap, Cheol Ryu-heun retreated far backward.
Simultaneously.
KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAA… KWAAAAAAAAA… !
The energies of Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, Evil Emperor, Martial Immortal, and Blood God that had transformed into pillars of light swept toward Wang-ryu, emitting destructive pressure.