Chapter 292: Made a Choice
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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In the fierce exchange where even a slight mistake would lead to death,
Jin So-myeong, who had grown at a rapid pace, swung his sword.
RUMBLE!
Just before the blade, which was accelerated by the Law Domain and the Lightning Escape Art to the point of being invisible, could sever the neck.
The surrounding air became as tough as a lump of iron.
CLANG!
The rapidly slowed sword bounced off the back of a hand, and his left shoulder was shattered by a fist that flew in like a beam of light.
It was quite painful.
Had he not twisted his waist reflexively, most of his upper body, including his heart, would have been blown away.
Just as he was retreating as if bouncing to resolve the impact.
RUUUMBLE…!
The sound of cliffs collapsing echoed from all directions.
The shockwaves generated from dozens of clashes, which had continued endlessly since the start of the battle, had only now reached the earth.
The aftermath could not keep up with the speed that far surpassed the speed of sound.
It was an amazing sight, but it was not important right now.
Just as he was about to continue the exchange again.
‘Hmm?’
Due to the shockwave that swept in all directions just now, the ground covering the surface was blown away entirely.
Thanks to that, a snow-white rock layer was revealed, and since it was such a dumbfounding sight, his attention was drawn to it despite himself.
‘A Life-Prolonging Stone is that big…?’
It seemed it was definitely not an ordinary Life-Prolonging Stone.
Even the largest among the Life-Prolonging Stones he had obtained so far was smaller than a human head.
Even such a Life-Prolonging Stone was a precious treasure, but to think there was a Life-Prolonging Stone larger than a mountain.
It was difficult to even estimate how dense the vitality contained inside was.
He was surprised enough to gape, but he soon ignored it.
No matter how precious a treasure that was, the fight was more important right now.
He tried to concentrate all his attention on his opponent, but…
Such a bizarre phenomenon occurred that he had no choice but to look at the sky.
‘The sun grew larger.’
And it became hotter. To the point where his skin was scorched reddish by the pouring sunlight.
With his current body tempering realm, he would be fine even if he dove into lava with his bare body, yet to think there was such heat.
Furthermore, because that sun was suspected to be the gaze of a Great Vehicle Stage expert, he could not possibly just overlook it.
While using most of his concentration to keep guard against the Asura, he spared only a fraction of his consciousness to examine the sun.
‘Why did the sun suddenly grow larger? Could it be because of that Life-Prolonging Stone?’
Around the time he narrowed his eyes.
Whether it was because the heat of the sun grew stronger, a bizarre phenomenon occurred.
‘The recovery speed of the Supreme Great Ability has accelerated.’
It had not just accelerated a little. It had accelerated like crazy.
In just about ten seconds, as many as 40 billion points of the Supreme Great Ability were recovered.
The Supreme Great Ability originally recovered in a one-month cycle.
Now that the maximum limit was 400 billion, it would take three days for 40 billion to be recovered.
But to think that three days’ worth of the Supreme Great Ability was recovered in just about ten seconds.
Did this not mean that even if he stayed here for just one day, dozens or hundreds of years would pass on the outside?
It was clearly an abnormal thing.
‘…This means I must leave within thirty minutes at the very latest.’
The time he could stay in the secret realm had about two years left, but not anymore. That period would quickly pass even if he exceeded just thirty minutes.
It could be said that a rather troublesome matter had arisen, but…
He just ignored it.
It was fine as long as a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator did not descend in person. Complicated problems could be pondered after the fight ended.
By the way…
The other side feeling strange about the sudden bizarre phenomenon was the same.
Watching the Asura who was frowning while looking at the sun, a sudden curiosity arose.
“Hey. By the way, what is your name?”
It would not be a particularly strange question, but an answer did not come readily.
The Asura man, who was moving his lips with a dumbfounded expression for an instant, asked back.
“You are asking my name only now? In this kind of situation?”
“Since we are having a fight anyway, I should at least know your name. Besides, you seem to know who I am, so isn’t this unfair?”
“…I finally understand. You were a truly, properly crazy bastard. To think a misfit like you is a human, it is absurd.”
The Asura, who let out a chuckled laugh as if dumbfounded, fell silent for a moment and then opened his mouth.
“Gwang-rim. I am the avatar of the Avici Dao Sovereign. Gwang-rim.”
“I see.”
Gwang-rim, who withdrew his gaze completely from the sun, looked over here, and it felt like facing a giant beast.
The moment he smiled broadly, pleased by the tension that dried his mouth.
Something like a firm wick settled in Gwang-rim’s eyes.
Had he made some kind of decision?
Simultaneously with the question,
Thud!
Gwang-rim’s heart exploded by itself without any prior warning.
The blood that poured like a fountain instantly covered his entire skin, and then drew a bizarre pattern.
‘That is…’
The energy harbored by Gwang-rim amplified exponentially, then advanced into an unknown territory.
Watching it far transcend the Great Circle of the Void Refinement Stage, he realized what kind of secret technique had been unleashed.
‘Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph.’
The unique divine ability of the Asura race to gain immense power by bursting one’s own heart.
He had unleashed a divine ability similar to the Blood Wings.
He honed all his senses to the limit. At the same time as preparing for the upcoming clash.
“Die.”
A short declaration was delivered, and the world was turned upside down.
First of all, the surroundings brightened up as if a flashbang had exploded, and then the light burned his optic nerves.
BEEEEEP…!
An intense dizziness arose along with an extreme headache. His lungs burned as if he had inhaled a deadly poison.
Had he been careless?
No. Even while holding the conversation, he was properly focusing all his nerves.
It was just that Gwang-rim, who had unleashed the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph, exerted an out-of-bounds power.
Amidst the pain that stiffened his heart, he vaguely perceived it.
‘It is an Integration Stage-grade divine ability.’
The ground became unstable. The earth, which turned into a swamp in an instant, gaped open its mouth, then thrust sharp fangs forward.
He tried to dodge by kicking off the void, but the air was also in a weirdly altered state.
Like a water ghost, it clung tightly to his entire body and hindered his movement.
Even in the midst of the chaos, he made efforts to maintain his composure.
‘Is this what it meant that all things in heaven and earth respond to one’s will once one reaches the Integration Stage?’
While grasping the situation as much as possible.
He unleashed the Infinite Void Formless Robe to escape from the restraint, and dodged the fangs of the swamp that tried to swallow his entire body.
Just as he thought he had dodged it relatively cleanly.
Pshhh…!
The skin of his entire body cracked like a dry paddy field, and then a fountain of blood poured out.
‘Hah.’
He could quickly tell what the reason was. That was why it was even more surprising.
He had not been hit by something grand.
He was merely grazed by the dust stirred up in accordance with his violent movement, yet his skin, which was harder than steel, was miserably torn.
The moment Gwang-rim declared to die.
Even a single speck of scattering dust, which was utterly trivial, turned into a fatal threat.
Pitter-patter.
Small pebbles that flew in at just the right time.
Normally, he would not have paid any mind to them, but his instinct warned him.
That right now, even a single one of those tiny pebbles must not be treated lightly.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
He deflected all of them with his sword, and indeed.
Even though he had merely bounced away a pebble as small as a fingernail, the entire blade vibrated as if it would break.
Furthermore…
A small spark generated as the sword collided with the pebble. It rapidly grew in size, then turned into a massive fire dragon and poured out lava.
‘Insane.’
It felt like the entire world had become his enemy and was trying to kill him.
The moment the lava poured down.
While seeking a solution, he thought of the Law Domain. If it was the Law Domain that twisted laws, it would be able to counter this phenomenon.
He reflexively unfolded the Law Domain to slow down the speed at which the lava rushed in, and it worked.
However…
He could not endure that long.
Along with a pain that made his mind dizzy, the edges of the Law Domain began to collapse.
To make matters worse, the bizarre phenomena pouring from all directions did not stop.
From the dust scattered in the wind to the leaves falling from tree branches. All of them turned into fatal weapons and rushed in.
He unfolded the Myriad Currents Restoration divine ability to revive the collapsing Law Domain.
The brief moment of respite obtained in that manner.
He pondered fiercely.
What should he do? How could he breach an authority that was undeniably of the Integration Stage grade?
He reflexively examined Gwang-rim, but the opponent was not particularly relaxed either.
In exchange for using the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph, he was dying in real-time.
Surely there was no way he would be fine. Even if he was an avatar, did he not wield a divine ability of the Integration Stage grade with insufficient cultivation?
‘Should I try to hold out?’
Right now, the Law Domain was repeating collapse and regeneration like crazy, constantly becoming stronger.
If he dragged out time, wouldn’t he eventually win…?
‘No.’
It was insufficient. He was pushed back in firepower.
Right now, he was holding out thanks to the Supreme Great Ability, but the Supreme Great Ability would run dry before long.
Holding out was by no means a solution.
Disregarding the Supreme Great Ability that was on the verge of running dry, he devoted himself to thinking.
While recalling all kinds of means in an instant, he unfolded the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye to the extreme.
He intended to look for clues with the eye technique that saw through all of creation’s possibilities, but…
The moment he unfolded the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye.
‘Ah.’
He perceived that a new sensation had sprouted.
The second divine ability of the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye that had been asleep for a long time.
Law-Breaking.
The energy amplified by the Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture permeated into his eyeballs tempered by the Nine Successes Golden Body Art, then blossomed their potential.
Crackle…!
Lightning condensed in both of his pupils. The moment radiant light poured down.
All kinds of bizarre phenomena that were rushing in as if declaring death disappeared as if washed away.
Silence.
Merely by looking. The moment they touched his gaze, all threats fell silent.
“…”
Everyone was astonished at the absurd sight.
Gwang-rim, who had wielded the Integration Stage-grade divine ability, was also no exception. His pupils dilated, and he could not hide his surprised expression.
In the battlefield that had become quiet as if it was a lie that it had been noisy until just now,
The price of unleashing Law-Breaking arrived.
Tear…!
The sound of something snapping was heard, and then his vision was dyed in darkness.
‘Ugh.’
It felt like his optic nerves were burning. Nothing was visible, as if he had gone blind.
His Divine Sense also lost its function, whether it had been broken.
Once he realized that fact, the pain was no longer important.
‘…’
At the urgent moment when life and death were crossed, he lost his senses.
It was a situation where it would not be strange if he died right away, yet his heart was strangely calm.
Was it because his vision disappeared and the noise cleared away?
It felt as though the cluttered world had become clear.
Filled only with darkness,
In a silence like a dew-laden dawn, he drew a virtual line following his intuition.
Where and what was his opponent doing right now?
Since an expert of Gwang-rim’s caliber would not miss such an opportunity, wouldn’t he be extending a fist toward his heart right in front of him by now?
If so, what he had to do right now was…
While unleashing Annihilation Slash, he took a half-step to the right.
An pressure as if a great mountain was crushing down tried to collapse his mind and body, but he ignored it.
At the half-step taken with difficulty, the moment he perceived that Annihilation Slash had ended.
The virtual line drawn with his mind.
He swung his sword toward the place where Gwang-rim’s neck was estimated to be… no, where the neck was located.
Slash…!
Simultaneously with the cutting sensation clearly felt even in the darkness,
He poured a speck of the Supreme Great Ability, which was recovered in an instant, into his eyes.
As he revived his damaged eyesight, it was seen blurry.
The figure of Gwang-rim rushing in with one arm flown off instead of his neck.
He was wrapped in a starlight-like brilliance all over his body, and he was several times faster than usual. It was a shape as if he had unleashed some secret technique.
‘…Haha. Outstanding.’
Along with a laugh that popped out suddenly, he took a step forward.
Crackle!
While accelerating by using the Black Thunder fully digested through the fierce battle,
He ignored the fist flying toward his face and swung his sword.
The immense energy, Blood Wings, flowing along his meridians even at this very moment.
He wrapped the Light-Accumulating Destructive Vibration around the blade, and split the single remaining heart along with his upper body.
Spurt…!
Watching the fist that grazed past his forehead a beat late, he felt by instinct.
That he had won.
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