Chapter 252: Admitting Defeat
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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At the moment when Jin So-myeong charged forward with the sword carrying A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens.
The eyes of the Asura woman with violet skin turned fierce.
“Arrogant!”
Was she angry because, far from fleeing despite being pursued, he charged in reverse?
She, whose eyes lit up with fury, formed hand seals, and a violent rainstorm poured from the dark clouds covering the sky.
Right at that moment.
Screeech!
The phoenix following behind let out a screech, then frantically flapped its giant wings.
It caused a flame storm intense enough to cover heaven and earth, but the rain falling this time was different from before.
Pour…!
Instead of easily evaporating, it poured even more violently and swallowed the flames.
At that moment when the phoenix, which was unilaterally pushed back, was flustered.
‘It is an opportunity.’
Jin So-myeong, whose eyes shone, spread his Blood Wings and even unfolded the Purple Lightning Escape Art.
In a single breath, the distance between him and the Asura vanished.
Becoming a streak of lightning, he narrowed a distance of hundreds of kilometers in one go. Digging into the split second of a gap created upon colliding with the phoenix, that was.
At the moment when he thrust his sword toward the Asura who had drawn close enough to touch if he merely stretched his hand, while piercing through the violently pouring rainstorm.
Clang!
A single water drop condensed in the empty air blocked and stopped the sword.
Even though he merely collided with a water drop, the wrist, forearm, and shoulder holding the sword throbbed as if they would shatter.
A groan naturally came out at the pain that felt as if his arm bones had been struck with a hammer and chisel, but he smirked instead.
‘It is doable.’
Because he realized as soon as they exchanged the first move.
This opponent was weaker compared to Ra-heuk.
Furthermore, the Law Domain she possessed did not exert such a great influence on Jin So-myeong.
Making his entire body heavy like water-soaked cotton and making his head throb was all.
As he added the Infinite Void Formless Robe and A Single Flash Lightens the Heavens, and on top of that, the Qi amplified through the Blood Wings, he could sufficiently overcome it.
Furthermore,
6th-rank Dharma Treasure. Since the Black Flame Boundary Stone caused flames to even cover him, for the first time since entering the Bright Blood Great Valley, he felt as if he had seized the upper hand in combat power.
“Ugh…”
Chasing her as she tried to retreat with a frown, he swung his sword.
Fwip…!
A stream of water that flew soundlessly penetrated his forearm, but he ignored it.
Merely swapping the sword held in his right hand to his left hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He thrust, slashed, and thrust again.
Although a sharp counterattack flew in from time to time, as long as it was not a fatal wound, he ignored it in its entirety.
Without giving even a brief gap, he continued to push.
And thus, in the end.
“…!”
Violet blood welled up from the forearm grazed by the blade.
Although it was merely a scratch, he had inflicted a wound for the first time.
Thanks to the rapid growth achieved in the Bright Blood Great Valley, before he knew it, he had grown strong enough to reach a Void Refinement stage expert with his blade without the Moon-Burning Realm-Crossing.
“You are truly a monster-like fellow.”
She, who wore a bewildered expression after being slashed on the forearm, suddenly gritted her teeth and shook her wounded arm violently.
At the moment when the blood scattered like buckshot boiled.
Flash…………!
An intense light arose and a grand explosion occurred.
At the moment when he was touched by the shockwave that poured down without giving any gap to avoid.
The Blood Armor that reached the Purple Eye Armor realm could not endure even for a moment and turned to dust, and his skin was dyed black as if turning to ashes.
Reviving his crumbling skin with the Myriad Flows Restoration divine ability, he drew a circle with his sword.
While deflecting the explosion through Yin-Yang Reversal unfolded as it came, he examined the opponent, and she was also being bounced away by the shockwave.
Her complexion completely lost its blood color, perhaps because she suffered injuries.
‘She overstrained herself.’
To think that upon being wounded, far from shrinking, she accepted damage and delivered an attack close to self-destruction.
True to the nature of the Asura race, it was a viciousness, but thanks to it, he obtained a golden opportunity.
Boom!
He kicked off the empty air and charged.
At the moment when he was about to pour out the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration to pursue her as she fell like a thread-lost kite.
The Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye he had been unfolding throughout the battle saw an ominous future.
At that moment when he thrust his sword toward her brow. A formation secretly installed was activated, and he suffered his dantian being pierced by a hidden Asura in that future.
‘It was a trap?’
Stopping his blind pursuit, he hurriedly retreated.
As he calmed his breathing, his vision widened, and finally, he saw.
A cold murderous intent was flowing inside the pupils of her who was falling while swept by the explosion.
Indeed.
Since Jin So-myeong did not pursue, she, who regained her balance in an instant, narrowed her eyes.
“How did you know?”
Although he had pierced through the trap thanks to the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye, there was no reason to speak such important information as it was.
“I wonder… Because you were too weak for a Void Refinement stage cultivator, it was suspicious.”
“Ha.”
At the moment when veins stood on her forehead.
Whoosh…!
The empty air where nothing existed wavered, and a crude stone spear with no decoration flew in.
Although it was a shabby appearance looking as if it were made by carving stone, it could not be lightly regarded.
‘Fast.’
Even though he was preparing in advance, the moment he perceived it, it was already right in front of his nose.
At that moment when he tried to twist his waist to avoid. The spear’s trajectory bent minutely, then flew accurately pointing toward his dantian.
At the moment when he realized he could not avoid, he swung his sword.
Creeeak…!
However, was it a step late.
Pushed by the brute force contained in the spear, his sword was bounced off instead, and
Thud!
His flank was penetrated.
As if a giant beast tore off his flesh, one side of his flank vanished in its entirety.
‘Ugh…’
Gritting his teeth, he endured the severe pain that made his consciousness blurry.
If there was a relatively fortunate point, it was that thanks to swinging his sword, his dantian was protected.
Although a part of his upper body vanished as if scooped out, a degree of injury like this could be recovered with a few breaths.
Of course…
The opponent had no intention of leaving it be.
At the moment when his goosebumps rose at the sensation that made his spine chill.
Ignoring the pain that turned his head pure white, he struck down his sword.
Clang!
Parrying the second stone spear that was right before piercing his brow before he knew it, he hurriedly retreated.
-Stop. Two is impossible.
As he sent a voice transmission to the Black Flame Boundary Stone that was pouring out flames haphazardly, the fellow running wild like crazy paused, then immediately spread its wings.
Fwoosh!
True to its nature as a Dharma Treasure possessing outstanding spirituality, there was no need to instruct one by one.
As soon as Jin So-myeong climbed onto its back, the fellow fled without even looking back.
‘Certainly, having a mobile-type Dharma Treasure makes it comfortable.’
While launching the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palms toward the Asuras pursuing immediately, he swallowed all kinds of spiritual herbs as they came to hand.
Roughly patching up the hole in his flank, he narrowed his eyes.
‘Where are the remaining seven?’
Would they be besieging the four directions in preparation for when he leaped ten thousand li to flee? Or would they be hiding nearby, targeting an opportunity to launch a surprise attack?
Contemplating a countermeasure, he took out a drop of True Blood stored in his spatial pocket and wrapped it in the Infinite Void Formless Robe.
Planting the True Blood on the back of the Black Flame Boundary Stone crossing the sky, he sent a voice transmission.
-Return along the path we came. This time, that side seems safe.
The Black Flame Boundary Stone that glanced this way immediately turned its direction, and
Jin So-myeong leapt from the phoenix’s back, and at the same time, charged in reverse toward the Asuras.
Although it was a sudden surprise attack, the Asuras responded immediately without a sign of fluster.
Looking at the opponent delivering a fist as if they had been waiting.
Crackle…!
Following the Blood Wings that had entered the fourth circulation before he knew it, he unfolded the Purple Lightning Escape Art to accelerate.
A split second.
In the world that slowed down to the point where sparks fluttering in the wind could be seen clearly, he struck down his sword at a speed difficult to perceive even by himself.
At this moment, he forgot everything. Focusing only on one single thought, to slice and cut.
“…!”
Right before the swift sword struck down like a thunderbolt sliced the crown of the head.
The Asura who responded even to the sudden counterattack twisted his upper body, and
The blade that passed while grazing the horn of his temple struck down his right shoulder.
As a result.
Pssssht!
A blood fountain poured from the shoulder that lost the arm.
He had intended to slice the crown of the head by targeting the gap captured in a split second, but regrettably, it stopped at slicing off one arm.
‘To think he avoided this.’
At that moment when he felt regret.
Because the flying speed was slow, the Asura with violet skin who arrived a step late tried to deploy the formation.
‘I must not drag time any further.’
The moment the judgment that he had to flee arose.
Pouring out his clones who had been waiting in his spatial pocket, he made them scatter in the four directions, and the main body remained on the spot to disrupt the deployment of the formation.
“Clone divine ability?”
While Jin So-myeong faced the Asura with violet skin, the Asura who became one-armed narrowed his eyes, then took a spear-throwing posture.
At the moment when the single remaining arm swelled two times larger.
Whoosh…!
The stone spear that appeared like an illusion cut through the empty air, becoming a streak of light ray.
The spear that was originally one divided into hundreds and thousands, then tried to pierce all the clones simultaneously.
Although it was a dazing sight, the clones also did not get struck obediently.
Spreading their Blood Wings to amplify their spiritual power, they resisted by pouring out bundles of talismans accumulated in the spatial pocket and the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration.
Some threw their bodies to buy time for the others to flee.
Like that,
Almost all clones were pierced by the divided stone spears.
Only two were the ones who safely left the battlefield, but that was enough.
At the moment when the clone that fled fastest was separated up to 800 kilometers, which was the range of his Divine Sense.
The locations of the main body and the clone inverted.
While the clone remaining in the battlefield exploded the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration. Concentrating his mind, he harmonized with the True Blood planted on the Black Flame Boundary Stone.
Flash!
As he moved to the phoenix that was separated over thousands of li from the battlefield, the surroundings became quiet.
Gurgle?
Could it have been startled by his sudden appearance.
The phoenix that flinched its wings confirmed that the one riding its back was Jin So-myeong, then concentrated on flying again.
“Whew…”
Jin So-myeong, who composed his breathing, reviewed the battle just now.
Regrettably, he failed in reducing the number of the enemies, but he did not gain nothing.
Something that could not be explained merely by his realm.
It felt as if the battle where life and death went back and forth became a whetstone, sharpening his sword.
As proof of that, for the first time, he slashed a Void Refinement expert without the Moon-Burning Realm-Crossing.
Although he could not end his life, it was enough to prove that he had become distinctly stronger compared to before.
‘Anyway, they do not seem faster than me in flying speed, so how did they get ahead of me to even install a formation.’
Pondering for a moment, the answer came out.
Apparently, the Asuras had installed teleportation formations throughout the Bright Blood Great Valley.
‘To think they installed teleportation formations in this kind of rough terrain. It would not be easy to manage…’
Anyway, since it meant the enemies’ tracking means had increased, there was a need to modify his escape route.
He tapped the back of the Black Flame Boundary Stone that was flying with all its might.
“Let us go west. We must enter deep enough that installing teleportation formations is impossible.”
Gurgle!
The phoenix that gave a brief reply turned its direction vertically, then flew toward the deepest part of the Bright Blood Great Valley.
***
In the midst of the pursuit that continued tenaciously, a year and a half passed.
Although there had been numerous ups and downs during that time, Jin So-myeong ultimately endured.
He had survived even after fighting Void Refinement experts dozens of times.
And thus, in the end.
‘It is completed.’
The Infinite Void Formless Robe, into which he had devoted his heart and mind for over a year, reached its realm.
As he had tested a few times, now he felt a certainty that he could avoid the senses of the Void Refinement stage experts.
Not to mention being freed from the tracking, he had also secured safety even in the dangerous Bright Blood Great Valley.
‘It is about time to leave.’
Recently, the attacks of the Asuras had become sparse.
It would not be that they had given up tracking, but they would probably concentrate all their capabilities on the border line crossing to the human territory…
With the completed Infinite Void Formless Robe and the strength he had accumulated so far, he believed he could sufficiently break through.
‘Or, cultivating to the late stage of the Soul Formation stage in the Bright Blood Great Valley is also not bad.’
Once he crossed the minor realm, he would become two times stronger than now.
When that time came, even the Void Refinement stage experts would not be feared.
‘Should I break through the border line and cross to the human territory, or cultivate to raise my strength…’
Thanks to the Infinite Void Formless Robe, his options became many.
In the midst of the leisure he regained after a long time, he contemplated what to do.
***
At the same time, the Asuras who pursued Jin So-myeong in the Bright Blood Great Valley gathered in one place.
“……”
In the midst of the silence that flowed.
The complexions of the Asuras looking at each other could not be called good even as a hollow word.
Because of the pursuit battle that continued for over a year, everyone showed a distinct look of fatigue.
Particularly, the Asura who had lost one arm to Jin So-myeong was even more severe. Although his arm was regenerated, it was clearly visible that his vital essence was heavily damaged.
At that moment when the uncomfortable silence continued.
Someone let out a sigh and opened his mouth.
“Now, we have no choice but to admit defeat.”
“…That is correct.”
To think that nine Void Refinement stage Heavenly Lords had stepped forward, yet could not kill a single Soul Formation stage cultivator.
It was a result that was nothing but miserable.
No one had expected that the task of killing Jin So-myeong would be this difficult.
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