Chapter 358: A True Genius (3)

Looking at Yu Cheon, who closed his eyes tightly as if trying to calm his excitement, he pondered.

Although he had spoken mockingly, calling it impressive, it was half sincere.

‘It is a mysterious bead. I do not know just how much energy is contained in it.’

The golden bead suspected to have been given by a Great Ascension stage cultivator.

That thing emitting vast energy was precisely Yu Cheon’s true vital point.

‘If I only break that bead, he will no longer be able to recover.’

He realized clearly what he had to do to kill the opponent, but executing it was not easy.

This was because the position of the golden bead near the dantian shifted without a moment of rest.

Sometimes it was in the solar plexus or shoulders rather than the lower abdomen, and sometimes it was even held by the Yin Soul rather than the Yang Soul.

It freely traveled between both bodies without any precursor.

How should he break the bead whose position shifted dozens of times in a single moment?

‘Would it work if I slice the two simultaneously?’

He could deploy the Annihilation Slash and split the bead, but that alone seemed like it would be insufficient.

The leeway to move in the state of the Annihilation Slash was proportional to one’s realm.

It meant that the stronger one’s own skills were, the more changes one could bring about.

To put this in a slightly different way…

It meant that the more difficult the task beyond one’s ability, the greater the pressure exerted on the mind and body in the state of the Annihilation Slash.

So the conclusion was clear.

To break the golden bead, he had to raise his own skills or forcibly create an opening.

If he deployed the Annihilation Slash at the appropriate moment, he would be able to slice even the bead whose position constantly shifted.

‘The remaining Burning Moon Slash is one.’

Victory or defeat would be decided depending on how he used the last remaining Burning Moon Slash.

Of course, it was not that there was no way to replenish the lacking energy.

He could deploy the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph once more,

or he could make the Blood Wings, which currently maintained the fifth circulation state, enter the sixth circulation.

Or otherwise…

he could completely consume his lifespan to deploy the real Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture.

Whichever he chose, he would become at least several times stronger. He would be able to resolve the situation easily.

However, he was reluctant.

It was not that he was worried about side effects at this point; rather, Yu Cheon’s age was bothering him.

‘He looks young at a single glance.’

What Tens of Thousands of Li could that mean?

It meant there was a high possibility that Dao Sovereigns stronger than Yu Cheon were scattered all over the Heavenly Law Palace.

So, rather than blindly amplifying his dharma power to get past the situation, he chose another method.

To raise his pure skills.

‘It is rather for the better.’

He had realized something while fighting Yu Cheon.

The other party was not even utilizing the abilities he currently possessed properly.

It felt as if he had not digested them properly because he had suddenly obtained too many things in succession.

So he must not miss this opportunity.

‘Phew…’

Repeatedly taking shallow and long breaths, he focused on his inner self.

Rumble!

While fully feeling the energy rushing and tearing apart his meridians.

Instead of a noisy rampage, he focused on forging a sharp sword.

Hummm…

The energy that escaped control and leaked out of his body subsided,

and his meridians, which repeated breaking and regenerating, also gradually regained stability.

While striving to perfectly control the energy amplified by the Blood Wings and the Heart-Shattering Blood Glyph.

He spoke to Yu Cheon, who was taking deep breaths as if trying to regain composure.

“Why are you staying still? Don’t tell me the test is already over?”

“…” Ha.”

Instantly, the atmospheric pressure soared crazily and pressed down on his shoulders.

It was clear that the pissed-off Yu Cheon intended to do his utmost.

Grind!

As the density of the dharma power rose, the pressure weighing down on his mind and body grew endlessly.

Just as the joints of his entire body were screaming.

The two Yu Cheons manipulating flames and cold Qi, the Yin Soul and the Yang Soul, moved simultaneously.

As the Yang Soul gathered both palms toward its chest, the surging flames compressed into a speck-sized dot and turned like a bright red bead.

Flash…!

He saw a future where the red bead pierced through his brow.

Although it was a speed too fast to react to, he had already seen it.

While slightly twisting his head to avoid it, he swung his sword toward the Yin Soul that had rushed right in front of his nose before he knew it.

He aimed for the neck of the Yin Soul, which was thrusting its palm condensed with cold Qi.

Yu Cheon, who bent his waist, tried to avoid it somehow, but…

Slash!

He bent the sword trajectory vertically and struck the back of the neck in the end.

He kicked and blew away the Yin Soul whose head had disappeared, and rushed toward the Yang Soul that was swinging both hands to gather flames.

Clang!

The sword and the back of the hand clashed, and a shockwave exploded.

Seeing the faint blood droplet forming on the back of Yu Cheon’s hand, a laugh came out of him naturally.

‘It works.’

Even at the beginning of the battle, he could not do anything about the flame-clad hand, but now it was different.

Although shallow, he had definitely sliced it.

It meant that as his skill in handling energy grew, the sharpness forming on the blade became even sharper.

“You…!”

He thrust the sword toward Yu Cheon, whose face stiffened hard.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Dozens of exchanges continued to become hundreds of exchanges, and at a certain moment as the starting point, Yu Cheon’s attitude changed.

Whoosh!

Even though his neck was right before being severed, he did not seem to have any intention of blocking.

Because he tried to pierce his dantian while ignoring even having his neck cut, he struck down the horizontally swung sword and bounced off the hand edge.

‘He began to bear the wounds.’

He began to actively utilize the fact that he would not die even if his neck was severed; since he rushed in roughly as if attempting a mutual destruction, it was considerably tricky.

But that was all.

It was not only the sword that developed as the battle continued.

The Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye also grew stronger.

Perhaps it felt as if his sleeping senses were awakening.

The future that was only visible occasionally became increasingly clear.

He poured down lightning toward the Yin Soul that was trying to grab his ankle while concealing its presence, and avoided the hand edge that stabbed toward his temple by a hair’s breadth.

While clearly feeling the heat brushing past his skin.

Digging into the chest of the Yang Soul that had thrust its hand edge, he slammed its solar plexus with his elbow.

Was being able to recover from wounds different from pain?

Yu Cheon’s face distorted violently.

Grind!

Yu Cheon, whose eyes turned bright red as capillaries ruptured, grit his teeth,

and the pressure pressing down on his shoulders grew even greater.

Although it was a strong pressure hard enough that simply lifting his arm was difficult, the result did not change much.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!

He responded calmly to all the offenses pouring down in succession.

While narrowly avoiding attacks aiming for his vital points, he swung his sword in between.

“Eeeek!”

He could feel that he was genuinely angry beyond simple annoyance.

Yu Cheon’s dharma power grew rapidly stronger, but it was already too late.

From a certain moment, the balance of offense and defense began to tilt in reverse.

“No, why is this…”

Disbelief was harbored in the eyes of Yu Cheon, who had been attacking unilaterally.

He had not become faster, nor had his strength become stronger.

Simply knowing it in advance. He overwhelmed the opponent with that alone.

He caught up with the skills Yu Cheon had accumulated in just a single battle.

As the future read by the Lightning Insight Spell-Breaking Eye became clearer, Yu Cheon’s body became covered in wounds.

He returned to normal in an instant through the power of the golden bead, but his stiffened expression did not ease.

“This shouldn’t be happening…?”

As if utterly unable to accept it, his gaze, which had been filled with disbelief, suddenly turned fierce.

Boom!

The flame and ice that expanded as if exploding mixed together and then took physical form.

Swords, axes, bows, skewers, flails, scythes…

And even flying birds that moved vividly as if alive.

A variety of shapes, so numerous that it was difficult to list them one by one, filled the sky.

Millions of dharma spells poured down at once,

and he reflexively swung his sword.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

He deflected them one by one, but they were too many. In the end,

Stab!

the awl that pierced through the back of his hand burned his bone and flesh.

An involuntary groan came out at the intense pain of his nerves burning, but he smiled instead.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

He roughly endured minor checks with his body and focused on threats aiming for his vital points.

Narrowly avoiding a whip that tried to burst his head, he continued to swing his sword.

Death, which drew closer by the second, licked his neck, but he was pleased.

Because every time he overcame a wave, the sharpness flowing along the blade became stronger and stronger.

Realizing that he was constantly being tempered amidst the fierce clash, he simply could not hold back his laughter.

“Haha! Great! Do more!”

“This fellow…!”

Yu Cheon, who grit his teeth, poured out dharma spells once again.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Relying on a single sword, he deflected and deflected again the dharma spells pouring down like a shower.

How much time had passed?

The constantly soaring atmospheric pressure stopped abruptly.

The pressure weighing down on his mind and body did not grow any stronger, which meant Yu Cheon’s limit was here.

Eventually.

The wrist that tried to block the blade was severed, and Yu Cheon, whose eyes widened, hastily retreated.

“Impossible!”

“Don’t tell me it is already over?”

He was not provoking him this time. He said it out of genuine regret.

Looking at Yu Cheon, who only twitched his lips without being able to answer, something he was curious about suddenly came to mind.

“By the way.”

“…”

“At this level, isn’t the test a pass?”

“What…?”

“It seems I blew off your head at least five times, is it not so? The passing criteria are quite strict.”

For a moment, the jaw of Yu Cheon, who stood blankly, trembled finely.

“Y-You…! How dare you, how dare you…!”

Something reflected in his pupils, what could be called reason, snapped.

Aaaaaaaagh!

He let out a beast-like shriek and glared with bloodshot eyes.

As if having resolved something, he tried to swallow an unidentified pill taken from his storage pouch.

‘That is…’

He did not know what kind of pill it was, but he had a bad feeling.

He immediately kicked off the void and thrust his sword.

Although he did his utmost, he was not confident that he could block it, since Yu Cheon was also a formidable expert.

The Yang Soul that blocked the front before he knew it was covered in flash, and…

Kabaaaaam…………!

A powerful explosion that turned heaven and earth upside down occurred.

Self-detonation.

He detonated the Yang Soul to make time to swallow the pill. The moment he grasped what Yu Cheon had done.

He sensed that the opportunity he had been aiming for all along had arrived.

Since the Yang Soul exploded, there was only one body remaining now.

He took a step forward while slicing through the explosion.

Going against the raging shockwave, he rushed toward Yu Cheon, who had just swallowed the pill.

An instant.

He met the gaze of Yu Cheon, who was glaring at him as if to kill him, and his dharma power had become three or four times stronger.

Looking at the gaze smeared with killing intent, anger, and humiliation, he sensed it.

‘It was a pill that amplifies dharma power.’

That it was effective on an opponent who already had a large amount of dharma power meant it was no ordinary pill.

To eat it without hesitation even though such a pill would have considerable side effects meant he was truly pushed to his limit.

Yu Cheon, whose eyes were dyed deep red with all capillaries ruptured, stretched both hands toward the sky.

Rumble!

Red flames and pure white ice drew a giant Taiji; judging by the scale of the dharma spell, he seemed to intend to blow away the entire vicinity of tens of thousands of kilometers.

Crack!

The void distorted like a broken glass window.

The moment the entire area collapsed along with space itself, a sneer was harbored in Yu Cheon’s gaze.

“It is already too late.”

Staring straight at the gaze that seemed to say so, he deployed the Annihilation Slash.

Step.

As he took a step in the world where everything stopped, distance lost its meaning.

He grit his molars under the pressure weighing down on his mind and body.

Ignoring the pain of his tendons snapping one by one, he simply thrust his sword with all his might.

Clang…!

Right before the tip of the sword that advanced while traversing the void pierced the golden bead.

he deployed the last remaining Simplified Moon-Deducing Dao Scripture, and…

Crack!

A noise like a thick piece of iron splitting echoed.

Following the sense of exhaustion from pouring in all his strength for a moment, the state of the Annihilation Slash was released.

A fountain of blood erupted from the mouth of Yu Cheon, whose eyes widened, and the giant Taiji covering the sky collapsed rapidly.

Yu Cheon, who tried to retreat somehow, attempted to say something, but he did not listen.

“Ah!”

Astonishment and shock.

Pursuing Yu Cheon, whose pupils dilated to the limit, he struck down his sword,

Slash!

and split him vertically from the crown of the head to the crotch.

“…”

Looking at the clear blood line drawn passing the forehead and bridge of the nose down to the solar plexus, he swung his sword once more.

He struck the neck with a horizontally swung sword, and definitely clove the heart and dantian as well.

At that moment.

Boom!

Vast energy began to emit from the golden bead split in half.

It looked as if water was pouring from a broken vessel.

‘I won.’

He was confident of victory, but he did not stop. Since the opponent had revived several times, he must not let his guard down.

Crunch!

He even pulled out the bead entirely with his hand imbued with the power of the Golden Body Dharma Image.

Thus,

the light in Yu Cheon’s pupils went out completely.