Chapter 442: A Moment of Life and Death
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A chilling sound of flesh and bone being cut cleanly.
The acrid scent of blood spread.
CHYUCHYUCHYUCHYUT…… TUTUTUTUTUT……
Red blood spurted out like a fountain and thoroughly soaked the ground.
He had cut him.
The Heavenly Demon Heart Sword, falling with terrifying speed, had severed some part of Wang-ryu’s body.
In truth, it was a finishing technique intended to take the opponent’s life.
And that had struck the opponent’s body and caused fresh blood to spurt.
Yet he hadn’t died.
“Aaaaaaak!”
Wang-ryu’s sharp scream proved that.
The Heavenly Demon Heart Sword had been executed from the start with the intent to behead him, but by a hair’s breadth, only his left forearm was severed.
Failure.
Indeed.
Wang-ryu had evaded the crisis of death by a hair’s breadth.
An action made at a hair-raising moment saved his life.
It was a posture of abandoning his pride and rolling on the ground.
He poured all his internal power into that instantaneous evasion.
Determined to survive somehow.
Without caring about things like humiliation.
Thus, he abandoned his dignity as a member of the Four Divine Generals, nominally the supreme fighting force within Heaven Emperor Society.
A wise choice driven by the crisis sense of life and death.
Thanks to that, he survived.
It was heaven-sent fortune if one could call it that.
Because he had thrown his body into probability of fifty percent where success or failure of evasion was difficult to gauge.
Anyway, he survived, so that was enough.
It was a gamble-like movement of sorts, but the result was successful.
Cheol Ryu-heun could no longer operate divine energy.
It was only natural.
Because at the end, he had used all the remainder on the executed Heavenly Demon Heart Sword.
Yet his internal power level was still the same as before.
In truth, the outcome of the match was decided.
Although Wang-ryu survived, the conclusion of the decisive battle was obvious as day.
Defeat, and annihilation.
Wang-ryu would depart this world bearing that result.
It was immutable unless a special variable arose.
It had to be so.
Because Cheol Ryu-heun was the owner of a mysterious body that performed the active cultivation of release and the gathering cultivation of absorption instantaneously.
But Wang-ryu was not.
Due to Cheol Ryu-heun’s continuous fierce attacks, the Black Tortoise divine energy was exhausted and the wondrous function of the Diamond Indestructible Body, the greatest weapon and shield, had vanished.
In that state, it was difficult to counter Cheol Ryu-heun’s rapid internal power operation.
Indeed, to anyone looking, the end was obvious.
After all, he couldn’t rapidly replenish internal power like Cheol Ryu-heun.
With even the vital energy in his body severely diminished, how could he possibly block Cheol Ryu-heun’s inner cultivation technique that was achieved in one breath?
It seemed like there was no other option but to flee.
Cheol Ryu-heun would now pour out pinnacle internal power indiscriminately to finish things.
The amount of his internal power was practically the boundless sky and the vast sea.
No matter how much he used and used again, it was immediately refilled.
He could display pinnacle internal power without rest.
So it was the same as a fight already over.
As if to prove that, Cheol Ryu-heun.
SSWAESSAENG!
Raised the Gan Jiang high and swiftly dropped it downward.
A vertical sword stance.
Maximum level of heavy internal power was loaded in the entire blade.
A terrifying sword force showing that even without divine energy, he could kill.
KKWAKWAKWAKWAKWANG… !
An explosive sound that shook the atmosphere and ground.
Countless stones flew into the air and disoriented his vision.
In that midst.
“Kkeuk……!”
A short sound was heard.
It was Wang-ryu’s groan, swept away by the rebounding force of the explosion and sent flying far back.
Once again, he had saved his life.
A miracle.
A succession of heaven-sent fortune?
No, the reason for failure lay with Cheol Ryu-heun.
He missed.
In the flash of extending the killing sword, his body’s center of gravity suddenly tilted sharply to one side.
Because of that, the Gan Jiang struck the ground to the side instead of the target Wang-ryu.
Wang-ryu’s form, having flown three jang back and fallen to the ground, rolled tumbling before stopping.
“Euuek!”
A short groan was heard again.
But that wasn’t a sound made by Wang-ryu.
Surprisingly, it was Cheol Ryu-heun’s.
KEUK… !
Cheol Ryu-heun, having dropped to one knee, soon let his nose bleed profusely.
As he gritted his teeth and tried to raise his form.
PUSHUT, PUSHYUUUT……
Bright red nosebleed gushed out in large quantities.
That wasn’t all.
“Wek!”
He was coughing blood too.
The ground at his feet was thoroughly soaked with blood.
‘Of all times, at this moment……!’
His mind was extremely dizzy.
The scenery entering his eyes was spinning around and around like a top.
Extreme dizziness.
Also.
A tingling pain assaulted his entire body.
As if he had suffered some fatal injury.
That was interfering with his inner cultivation technique operation.
‘Greed…… was it!’
Cheol Ryu-heun intuited what this symptom was.
It must be because he had overworked his body.
It was clearly the effect of strain placed on his mysterious body while simultaneously executing finishing techniques that operated divine energy.
That had accumulated and accumulated before suddenly bursting.
He had thought it was enduring well, but that wasn’t it.
It seemed he had reached a limit he himself didn’t know about.
No matter how mysterious his body’s wondrous function, simultaneous execution of finishing techniques that mobilized maximum divine energy was apparently too much.
Meanwhile, Wang-ryu had hastily stopped the bleeding of the severed area using pressure points and wore a puzzled expression.
‘Kkeuk…… why is that fellow suddenly acting like that?’
But that thought didn’t last long.
For him, it was fortunate news.
Wasn’t this a golden opportunity that could be a foothold for a reversal?
“Fellow, your greed has caused disaster!”
Wang-ryu, having shouted triumphantly, sprang his form upright.
SYUSYUSYUSYU, SYUSYUSYUSYU……
He explosively released dark-red energy from his body.
Along with that, a suddenly heightened power was felt.
He had recovered maximum internal power in an instant.
It was truly an astonishing change.
Was it inner cultivation technique achieved in one breath like Cheol Ryu-heun’s?
“Hssss, Huuu.”
Wang-ryu, having quietly regulated his breathing, spoke with a smirk.
“Hut. let me test your physical condition.”
Having kicked off the ground, he swiftly compressed the gap and thrust his sword straight toward Cheol Ryu-heun.
Sword energy fiercely expelled.
Cheol Ryu-heun flinched and hastily swung the Gan Jiang.
JJEOJJEONG… KWAKWANG!
“Uk!”
Cheol Ryu-heun, engulfed in shimmer, was bounced backward.
HWIIIIIK… TEOEOEOEONG!
He barely stopped his form but continuously wobbled precariously.
Blood spurted from his mouth again.
HUDUDUK……
He had suffered internal injuries from the opponent’s power.
Full internal power wasn’t being displayed due to the aftermath of those symptoms.
That was the reason.
Again, Wang-ryu’s heavy sword stance came crashing in.
PEOEOEOEOEOEOEONG!
As soon as the roar burst, Cheol Ryu-heun flew backward powerfully before slamming into the ground.
KKUNG……
Following that, a pained groan seeped out.
“Eu…… Uk……”
Wang-ryu, looking at such Cheol Ryu-heun, wore a smile full of killing intent.
“Due to the Divine energy being used up, I can’t reattach my severed arm…… But I’ve refilled my internal power. it seems you cannot withstand that power.”
Then he soon leisurely moved his steps.
JEOBUKJEOBUK, JEOBUKJEOBUK……
He who had fixed his gaze forward spoke again, his eyes flashing.
“This body has mastered a Northern pole Great Sage Divine skill with a special wondrous function. I…… have two lower dantians. I had one additional spare that can be exchanged with the existing dantian. through that, I just recovered my internal power level. hu-hut, it’s a secret trump card of sorts. I can’t use Black Tortoise Divine energy, But looking at your body, victory is confirmed.”
Meanwhile, Cheol Ryu-heun’s consciousness was hazy due to the extreme pain.
‘Damn…… it……’
A sense of futility welled up in his chest.
Even if he couldn’t use the Divine Martial Sword’s divine energy, if only his body were fine, he could keep pouring out pinnacle internal power without rest and bring him down.
He was thinking about that again.
Why, of all times, at this moment……
But who was he to blame?
Cheol Ryu-heun, his expression crumpled, laboriously raised his form.
‘Uk…… a fiasco…… it is.’
No means to block Wang-ryu, tilting his sword and approaching, came to mind.
But right then.
SYUUUUUUUUUUUNG… KUAAAAAAAAAAANG!
A pure-white mass of light dropped down through the air in front of Cheol Ryu-heun.
PUSHIIT, PUSHIIIT…
A horse with a large body expelling cloud-like breath from its nostrils.
It was Divine Wind’s appearance.
Seeing that, Wang-ryu spoke as if finding it interesting.
“Ho-oh, did it instinctively sense the mortal crisis its owner was in? a Divine creature is a Divine creature Indeed. fine, I’ll send you to the afterlife too while I’m at it. hu-hut.”
Divine Wind, positioned as if to shield Cheol Ryu-heun, explosively released white shimmer forward.
SYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYUSYU… !
Thus, a vast energy charged toward Wang-ryu.
Not to be outdone, Wang-ryu also expelled magnificent formless energy throughout his body.
KWAAAAAAAA, KWAAAAAAAA… PEOEOEOEOEONG, PEOEOEOEOEONG!
Each other’s energies collided and continuously created roars.
But his body, which was walking, didn’t budge.
As if parting through water current, he was leisurely.
“Uk!”
Cheol Ryu-heun, whose pain had intensified, let out another groan and thought.
‘Flee…… if you do that…… you’ll die. Divine Wind, your…… strength alone is…… insufficient……’
At that moment, a mysterious Sound Transmission rang in Cheol Ryu-heun’s mind.
-I swore that even if I die, I would guard your side.
It was a familiar voice.
Immediately after, a strange vision entered Cheol Ryu-heun’s eyes.
A woman was superimposed over Divine Wind’s back.
‘How can this be…… you, you are……!’
The identity of the vision was none other than the woman he had loved in his previous life, ‘Cho-hui.’
It was a strange phenomenon that absolutely could not be seen in Wang-ryu’s eyes.
As if reading his heart, the Sound Transmission again reached his mind.
-You have finally come to sense me. Yes…… It is I. Now the soul energy of that liver-burial sword will awaken.
In that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun witnessed a new vision.
SEUREUREUK……
Something like white smoke quietly seeped out from the Gan Jiang and transformed into the form of some unknown old man.
That too could not be seen by Wang-ryu over there.
“Venerable elder, who are you……?”
Thereupon the old man with a benevolent appearance wore a faint smile.
The words he conveyed as if by Sound Transmission.
-At last, I have awakened. Now we shall…… Meet as bonds that have continued transcending long years.
Right then, the center of the high sky above opened.
Beyond the giant, pitch-black space, constellations were visible.
Also.
Heavenly Demon, Sword Emperor, Evil Emperor, Martial Immortal, Blood God too.
Cheol Ryu-heun, having seen that, trembled with spine-chilling awe.
‘The Great Universe……!’
* * *
A secluded mountain village.
A seven-year-old boy came toddling out into the yard of a humble house.
“Grandfather, grandfather, grandfather! the Sword in the storehouse is strange! it’s been crying Since earlier!”
At that sound, the old man who had been chopping firewood stopped his hands.
“Ah-heh-hut. rascal, your mischievous streak has acted up again. how could a Sword cry? don’t keep touching it or anything, just leave it alone. we need to take it to the market in a few days and sell it. we got it by chance, But it’s clearly a valuable Sword. so……”
At that moment, the roof of the old storehouse behind the house exploded.
KWANG… KKWAJIJIK!
Simultaneously, one slender sword flew rapidly into the sky while madly spewing brilliant light.
PAAAAAAAAAA… PAAAAAAAAAA… !
On the surface of that scabbard, a weapon name was inscribed in vigorous calligraphy.
A name of two characters.
Mo Ye.