Chapter 356: A True Genius (1)

Jin So-myeong, who drew his sword, narrowed his eyes.

He ignored the old people surrounding him.

They, who could not keep up with the change in the situation, were not very important.

Only one person.

He focused on Yoo Cheon, who was leisurely holding his hands behind his back.

“Is this the test of the Heavenly Law Palace?”

“Something like that.”

“A test… If so, it is a bit strange.”

“What is?”

“I do not seem to recall having said I would enter the Heavenly Law Palace yet.”

He asked why they started the test arbitrarily, and Yoo Cheon smirked.

“Whether you join the Heavenly Law Palace or not is determined by your skills. Whatever answer you give has no particular meaning.”

“You are saying my intention does not matter.”

“In the first place, the only way for you to survive is to pass my test and enter the Heavenly Law Palace.”

“Is that so…?”

Nodding his head, he asked just one last thing.

“What happens if I kill you during the test? Is it a disqualification?”

“Kill me…?”

Yoo Cheon, who was laughing hollowly like someone who heard something absurd, shook his head.

“I am sorry, but that is impossible. You should just focus on surviving with all your strength. Until I say you have passed.”

It did not matter if he killed him, just survive somehow?

Were those not extremely kind words?

“A fun method. Good. Let us have a fight first.”

Smirking, he aimed his sword. And,

He unleashed the Annihilation Slash.

Within the color-lost world where even the flow of time was stopped,

A lump of spiritual power that appeared in front of his nose before he knew it was visible.

A bullet made by compressing massive spiritual power to the limit into a spherical shape was just about to explode his face after flying at a speed difficult to even perceive.

‘It is fast…’

Just by this light move alone, one could tell how outstanding Yoo Cheon’s skills were.

Apart from his arrogant attitude that was colloquially obnoxious,

He had no choice but to acknowledge his skills.

It was clearly felt that he had mastered several supreme secrets outstanding enough to be called divine arts, and had gone through countless real battles.

‘Whew.’

With a light deep breath, he shook off his idle thoughts.

He tilted his head to avoid the bullet that was just about to crush his face.

He walked steadily toward Yoo Cheon, who was still holding his hands behind his back.

When he approached halfway, he felt a sensation of his mind and body being crushed, but it was bearable.

Thanks to achieving numerous growths during that time, the leeway to move in the state of the Annihilation Slash had increased.

He became close enough to reach just by stretching his hand, and swung his sword without hesitation.

Swish!

The instant the blade cutting through the void touched the nape of his neck.

The pressure crushing his mind and body reached its peak. It felt like being caught between lumps of iron larger than Mount Tai.

Creak.

The intangible pressure crushing his soul and physical body increased rapidly, causing his joints all over his body to scream.

It meant cutting Yoo Cheon’s neck was that difficult.

Since it seemed he would be forcibly released from the state of the Annihilation Slash at this rate, he unleashed the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph in addition to the Blood Wings.

Whoosh!

The energy amplified as his heart burst rushed through his meridians.

The moment the pressure crushing his mind and body disappeared like a lie.

Gathering the madly rampaging energy, he guided it to the blade.

Acceleration was added to the blade that had slowed down rapidly,

Slash!

It sliced flesh and severed bone.

Although he felt a strong repulsive force enough to make his wrist stiff, he cut the neck anyway.

Would it really end like this?

Simultaneously with the question rising in his head, the stopped time began to flow.

Yoo Cheon opening his eyes wide with a blood line drawn on his neck,

The old people whose pupils dilated while standing in awkward postures.

Various sceneries brushed past.

In that split second.

Leaving all questions and idle thoughts behind, he focused on the sharp energy released through the blade.

Beyond simply cutting the neck, it penetrated deep into his mind and body, splitting even his soul.

He had definitely cut him.

Simultaneously with making that judgment,

He felt a sensation as if the fine hairs all over his body stood on end,

And tilted his head back in accordance with his intuition honed through numerous real battles.

Fft…!

Just above his forehead, a red sphere passing by while bursting his hair was visible.

Before even feeling the hot heat brushing his face,

Thwack!

A heavy impact battered his flank.

‘Ugh…’

He gritted his teeth at the pain that felt like being crushed down to his nerves.

Suppressing the groan that was about to burst out naturally, he retreated as if bouncing back.

Thanks to the robe made of black clouds, his lungs were not pierced, but it could not prevent his ribs from breaking.

Just as he was dispersing the impact that had seeped deep into his bones while kicking off the air to retreat,

Kwahaaaang!

The avoided bullet collided with the cave wall, and the outer wall of the cave began to collapse.

Although the wall sturdy enough to be fine even under deep-sea pressure was shattered to pieces, he ignored it.

‘As expected, he did not die.’

Examining Yoo Cheon, he was still leisurely holding his hands behind his back.

Although he had clearly cut his neck, he was perfectly fine without a single scar.

‘He recovered already?’

Was his regenerative power outstanding enough to transcend imagination?

He vaguely intuited.

It was not that kind of feeling. It was not simply that his recovery was fast, but something was different.

Just as he narrowed his eyes at the incomprehensible situation,

Yoo Cheon, who was stroking his neck, let out a gasp of admiration.

“Oh, this is quite surprising. It has transcended a simply fast level. What kind of divine ability did you use?”

“…”

“To have even mastered a divine ability that amplifies spiritual power. Is it a method that utilizes the mutual generation and overcoming of the Five Elements? The repulsive force must be no joke, so I do not know how you endure it.”

Listening to him babbling as if evaluating, the corners of his mouth naturally curled up.

The bewilderment he felt for the first time in several decades was pleasing.

Should he indeed call him a cultivator connected to the Great Ascension stage?

His level was different from ordinary people.

‘It is a proper opponent after a long time. This will be fun.’

If the opponent was strong, it was rather good.

Because if he surpassed that, it meant he could advance much further.

While recovering his ribs shattered by the unexpected blow, he unleashed the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye to the extreme.

He examined Yoo Cheon standing leisurely, but it was not easily grasped.

What kind of method did he use to be perfectly fine even though his soul was split?

Could that be the cultivation method bestowed by the Great Ascension stage?

He could not catch a clue as to how he should dismantle it.

‘I do not know how he did it. I will have to cut him a few more times to find out…’

Around the time he made that judgment,

Yoo Cheon, who was staring intently this way, chuckled.

“I see what method it is. You were forcibly enduring the repulsive force of the amplified spiritual power with ignorantly tough meridians.”

He concluded as if he had pierced through the core of the Blood Wings, and clicked his tongue.

“However, it is crude. Such a method has clear limits.”

“Clear limits?”

“Of course. Can you not amplify beyond what your meridians can endure? In other words, it possesses a structural defect.”

“Why would that not work? It is enough to just bear things like meridians melting.”

He asked back because he truly did not understand, and Yoo Cheon’s brow furrowed tightly.

“I advised you out of goodwill, yet you babble nonsense in the midst of this. Tsk.”

Violent flames blazed from Yoo Cheon’s entire body and were divided into exactly five paths.

The five streams of flame spreading in all directions combined with the worldly origin Qi to embrace the Five Elements, then gathered back like a vortex to connect into a single ring.

The mutual generation and overcoming of the Five Elements. Collision and harmony repeated without rest.

Due to the smoothly continuing cycle, the energy embraced by the flames was amplified rapidly, and that energy was entirely absorbed by Yoo Cheon.

In an instant, Yoo Cheon, whose spiritual power became twice as strong, gestured with his chin.

“Did you see? If you have eyes, you will know. That this is a much more elegant method.”

To mimic the Blood Wings after seeing it once… He even unleashed it in a different way.

‘Is it a method of amplifying spiritual power from the outside and taking and using only as much as needed?’

Honestly, it was surprising.

In addition to being extremely stable, there was practically no risk of injury.

However, that was all.

In his view, that was rather a method with much clearer limits.

To reach an enemy beyond a thick wall that could not be reached even by stretching out a hand, such a stable method was out of the question.

“Well. In my view, that method also seems to have many problems.”

“Tsk, tsk. Only when one knows how to acknowledge the opponent is there progress.”

Around the time the sound of tongue-clicking resounded,

Kugugugung…!

The cave ceiling began to collapse in earnest.

Ignoring the lava pouring between the cracked ceiling, he threw a punch.

Took.

It was a fist lightly extended as if checking, but the result was not light.

A blow carrying the entire power of the Golden Body Dharma Image.

A giant fist flew while separating the void, and the atmosphere was heated bright red due to friction.

Boom!

Before even confirming the result, he kicked off the ground.

The instant he rushed along the trajectory the fist flew,

He saw a future where his head was shattered by something surging from the floor.

Simultaneously with turning his direction so abruptly that his ankle almost twisted,

A dark-colored iron pillar that surged at an invisible speed pierced and passed through the space where he was just a moment ago, colliding with the fist of the Golden Body Dharma Image.

Jjeong………!

A blindingly intense explosion arose.

Using the raging shockwave as a foothold, he accelerated once more.

With a sword strike slashed diagonally upward so quickly that his strong wrist felt stiff, he aimed for Yoo Cheon’s waist.

Just before the swift sword swung like a thunderbolt sliced bone and flesh.

Jjeong!

Dark red flames arose from his skin, and the sword speed slowed down rapidly, the blade touching the skin bouncing off as if hitting iron.

At the strong repulsive force enough to make his wrist joint numb, he intuited.

‘He was a Spell and Body Dual Cultivator.’

No wonder. The repulsive force when cutting the neck in the state of the Annihilation Slash was no joke; he had properly mastered a body tempering method.

Moreover, it was Rank 7 mid-grade. Just by looking at the realm, it was higher than his.

“Close-quarters combat your specialty? Good. I shall play along.”

A split second.

At the sensation of his hair standing on end, he tilted his head to the side, and a fist that appeared as if teleporting brushed past his earlobe.

Avoiding the moment where his head almost exploded by a hair’s breadth, he immediately counterattacked.

Clang!

As the side of the hand enveloped in dark red flames and the sword collided, a shockwave exploded.

Through the impact seeping along the sword blade, he realized the difference in physical strength.

As there was a difference in realm, the opponent was easily twice as strong.

His creaking joints screamed in pain, but he ignored them.

Even a wound where his heart burst could be recovered with a few breaths, so there was no need to care about things like joints breaking.

Supporting his tendons and bones pushed to the brink of snapping with spiritual power, he continued to swing his sword.

Jjeojeojeojeong!

The exchanges that occurred in an instant surpassed dozens and broke through hundreds of times.

Fist and fist, blade and skin collided, and a roaring sound that felt like heaven and earth collapsing resounded.

Kwakwakwakang!

Due to the shockwaves continuing without rest, the lava pouring as the ceiling collapsed stopped.

No, it did not simply stop, but was rather pushed back.

Because the aftermath generated by the collision of the two existences was stronger than the lava deep enough to form a sea.

How long had the split second that felt like eternity continued?

Due to the continuous collisions, sparks generated by the side of the hand and the blade clashing filled the surroundings.

Clang!

A single spark that bounced into the air descended to the ground.

Within the very natural scenery. The thing drawing a parabola touched his shoulder,

Crunch!

The ground he was stepping on cracked in the shape of a spider web.

‘What.’

A single spark smaller than a speck contained Mount Tai. Under the absurd weight of at least tens of millions of geun, the tense balance collapsed.

Just as he was staggering at the sudden anomaly,

Yoo Cheon thrust out his palm.

Swish!

Simultaneously with the blow flying toward his face.

The surrounding worldly origin Qi solidified hard. It pressed down on his entire body with a boundless weight, and even the sparks fluttering in the void all poured down.

If hit, he would die.

In other words, it meant the opponent had also put considerable care into this blow.

Since a crisis is soon an opportunity.

He unleashed the Annihilation Slash for the second time since the battle broke out.

Following the heart that embraced fire Qi, he burst even the spleen and lungs corresponding to earth and metal.

With the energy amplified once more. Ignoring the sparks pouring from all directions, he swung his sword.

Slice!

The blade that went forward while slicing the palm pierced and protruded from the shoulder.

‘Not yet.’

It was insufficient. Therefore, he did not stop.

The blade that penetrated Yoo Cheon’s left jaw sliced his right temple.

Although he blew away half of the head, he was not satisfied. He took one more step.

He twisted his wrist to completely reverse the direction the sword was heading.

Although his joints creaked as the price of ignoring inertia, he ignored it and focused on drawing down the sword.

Crunch!

The instant the blade plunged down like a thunderbolt touched the collarbone.

The limit that had approached before he knew it crushed his mind and body.

He was about to be released from the state of the Annihilation Slash, but blocked it by unleashing the simplified Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture.

Until the sword that shattered the collarbone sliced the heart and severed the spine.

He did not stop for even a single moment.

Like that, time began to flow again.

His right arm, the upper part of his head, and his overall upper body including his heart.

A bizarre thing occurred in the places where the blade passed. Instead of blood that should have poured, flames flared up.

As the fiercely blazing flames covered his skin, all wounds vanished as if washed away.

Within the bizarre scenery flowing slowly.

Yoo Cheon’s eyes, which faltered for a very brief moment, turned exactly this way, and displeasure dwelled in his once leisurely eyes.

Had he copied the Blood Wings after seeing it once, yet failed to grasp the Annihilation Slash?

He ignored him trying to open his mouth and say something.

While battering the abdomen with his left hand, he planted the Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm deep within the dantian.

Kwahaaaang!

The Chaos Sky Shattering Annihilation Palm that exploded inside created a hole larger than a head,

And the completely tattered abdomen was filled with flames.

Watching him become perfectly fine in an instant, he finally grasped what kind of method he had used.